Jurassic World Intruder
by Ashardalon125
Summary: Cathy has built her life around getting hired to work at Jurassic World. After years of research and laborious efforts, her vision comes true. However, no one suspects that her vision might not have the best interests of the park in mind. (Pre-JW1)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"The dinosaurs' vocalizations display elements of discreteness and semanticity. In some cases, there was a strong likelihood of displacement, but further observation would be required, as the footage was taken locally. From these observations, it can be said with confidence that the animals are capable of more complex communication that approaches full language development."

Cathy didn't think the words could be any more boring. When she woke up this morning, she had been nervous, and even anxious about giving a presentation, but now it was tedious. Patiently, she waited as the professors glanced down at their clipboards, tallying various boxes. In the silence, she took a small breath, listening to the sound of a parasaurolophus behind her. She spared a half glance at the video.

A herd of dinosaurs were moving along a field, with a few Gyrospheres passing them. The sound of the vehicles had been hard to scrub out, but she had managed it in the end. What was more frustrating was the person taking the video; a young woman, if the voice and reflection in the glass were any indication. It was amateur work, to say the least, but it had served its purpose. The camera had only really focused on the parasaurolophus for a minute before moving onto the next thing in sight. Any photographer worth their salt would have done at least a slow pan. These people didn't care; it was all just a sight to them.

The image changed, and this time it was a still camera, focusing on a roving pack of Metriacanthosaurus. Cathy's frown eased slightly. She recognized the handiwork. It had taken barely any effort to clean this one up, and she had Roger to thank for that. The photographer was quite talented, and she made a mental note to thank her mother for putting her in contact with him.

"So, Ms. Bowman, I hope you do not mind a few questions?" Cathy turned to face her supervising professor, Dr. Wagner.

"Feel free," she lied, hoping the smile stayed on her lips. She knew it wasn't his fault; in fact, he had given her substantial of freedom in her study. It was not exactly orthodox, after all.

"I noted that you closed with the summation of the qualities the dinosaurs possessed, but there are six qualities to language. Yet you only mentioned two, possibly three. Do you have any evidence of arbitrariness, for example?"

Cathy held back the urge to laugh. _Of course_ their language was arbitrary. The raptors alone had dozens of sounds due to their highly evolved nasal cavities, and the Tyrannosaurus infrasonics were a thing of beauty. She couldn't hold it against them, though. They didn't know what she did.

No one did.

"In the incidents where a dinosaur was clearly gesturing to an object, nothing about the vocalization was intrinsically linked to the qualities of that object, thus proving the dinosaurs are arbitrary with their language," Cathy explained, turning towards one of the displays. A single line extended across the screen, and several still images were hung below it, with various wave printouts. Red boxes enclosed sections of the waves, separating it out. Tapping on her laptop for a moment, she set the Gallimimus calls to play through. The waves accompanying their screeches played across the screen as she continued.

"As you can see, each individual call is made up of small sub calls. In the printouts below I even isolated the individual segments to make them more clear. This proves the discreteness of the dinosaur communications."

"Can you prove they have semanticity? Duality of patterning?" Dr. Guzman asked, one eyebrow raised in curiosity. A language professor. Cathy did not get along with her, though not on principle. The professor had been skeptical the whole time, especially when she had people with more promising projects in mind.

"These clips begin to show some of that. The number of various sounds I recorded were abnormally high for even the volume of videos I used, which is a strong contender for semanticity. However, the videos I used in my study were taken by visitors or hired personnel in the park, not by scientists. The premise here mainly stands on the fact that there is a strong probability the dinosaurs possess some form of advanced communication. By proving that there is a chance they communicate, it should draw attention to the field for more in-depth study." Cathy did not mention that same probability was basically guaranteed. She wondered if anyone would even care. Jurassic World was a huge attraction, and one that drew people of all fields. No doubt there were dozens of projects done a year. They would be insane to pay attention to all of them. Especially the marketing ones.

She had seen those types before. To them, dinosaurs were a cool feature piece, and a highly exclusive one at that. Dinosaurs made for great marketing, assuming you could make them look good. They were the ones who made the park what it was, and were the root of many problems others didn't pay attention to.

"If they did look into it, what are your expectations for the results?" Dr. Guzman continued.

"I would expect the dinosaurs' intelligence to be at least some level roughly approaching chimps," Cathy lied again. Dr. Guzman's eyebrow ticked up, betraying her surprise, and Cathy restrained her laughter.

That sounded like a good answer; high enough to surprise, low enough to not be laughed at. She had been tempted to say proto-language, just to surprise Guzman with her knowledge, but she knew better. Any slip ups now would be terrible, especially with all the years she had poured into this.

She had researched the statistics, even been behind some of them. Of course, not all of them had been above board. A count of corporate espionage was equivalent to a decade to a decade and a half in prison, along with thousands of dollars in fines. And never mind if they found out how it was obtained. No, she would play it close to the chest.

Idly, she straightened her jacket, trying to make the baggy fabric look a little more presentable. Even if this presentation had been for the President of the United States, she would not have worn a dress. No way was she showing that much skin.

Patiently, she waited for one of them to speak. Other students might have taken the chance to navigate the conversation to something fascinating or valuable, but she honestly did not feel like speaking any more. Giving the speech had already taken a lot of her focus, and trying to go off script would just sicken her.

Dr. Wagner seemed to realize it as well, straightening up with a smile. "Well, I will have to read the paper on it for the statistics. In the meanwhile, thank you for the presentation."

Cathy nodded imperceptibly, stepping back as they walked on by. She was content to hide on the side. With the white, sterile presentation space, her dark outfit stuck out like a sore thumb, so it wasn't likely. She didn't care though. She was far more focused on other things.

Picking up her notebook, Cathy flicked the pencil off its cover, spinning it around her fingers as she opened it up. Routinely, she checked off a box on her list, tapping down the line as she checked her notes.

She wished she could have brought her other notebook, but if anyone had glanced inside of it, that would be the end. No, as much as this was a waste of her time, it was an important one. Getting her project noticed, or at least out there as a reference, would be the first step in the public part of her plan. She would just have to grin and bear it.

* * *

It was about a month later when she got the email. Having finished her schooling, she had returned home to her mother's, ready to get back to her work. Thankfully, she had been able to play the "tired" card, and spend most of the day in her room, headphones on as she tabbed through audio clips.

During one of her sessions, she received an email and checked it absently. It was from Dr. Wagner. _Odd_, she noted. _I've already graduated, so why would he be talking to me?_

A sense of fear began to climb into her bones, exaggerating the soreness she already felt. Had she accidentally let something slip during her presentation? Maybe her paper? Had she named a species not in the park?

Opening it was like ripping off a bandaid. Pretty simple to start with. Congratulations on her presentation and her paper. A couple of points that he had found interesting, the whole nine yards.

"_I sent the details of your presentation through a friend of mine, and I just got an email about it from the administration over at Jurassic World. They couldn't find your email listed, so I told them I would send a link on to you."_

Opening the link, Cathy's breath was taken away.

* * *

Dear Ms. Bowman,

We're delighted to extend this offer of employment for the position of Veterinarian with Jurassic World. Please review this summary of terms and conditions for your anticipated employment with us.

If you accept this offer, your start date will be July 20th, 2012, or another mutually agreed upon date, and you would report to Division Supervisor Jacklyn Martin.

Please find below the terms and conditions of your employment, should you accept this offer letter:

**Position**

Your title will be Entry Level Veterinarian, and you will report to the Company's Division Supervisor. This is a full-time position. While you are employed at this Company, you will not engage in any other employment, consulting, or other business activity (whether full-time or part-time) that would create a conflict of interest with the Company. By signing this letter of agreement, you confirm you have no contractual commitments or other legal obligations that would prohibit you from performing your duties for the Company...

Sincerely,

Claire Dearing

* * *

Cathy was still as she read it. It was almost too perfect. This was what she had worked for for _years_. Still, she had expected to apply and struggle to get their attention, maybe work a few years in a subsidiary company. All of it would lead up to this moment. Instead, here it was. They _wanted_ her for just the job she wanted to do.

_Needed _to do.

As if the offer might slip away, she fired a message back quickly, explaining that she would happily discuss with them however they wished. That bit was partially a lie, but she wanted to leave a good impression. She would meet them on their terms.

She closed her laptop shortly after, taking a deep breath. For just a moment, she felt relaxed, and yet she almost felt shaky. The months of readying her project, inspecting it for errors or slips, the years spent in school, taking classes she didn't care about in order to have an excuse for her research, the almost decade of research before; it was all suddenly worth it. She had never let herself even think about the alternative. If she hadn't been noticed…

She had more important things to worry about, like getting her paperwork in. She already had it in order, waiting in her desk drawers. She would just have to copy the formatting over to whatever form they gave her. It would take little time, if all the practice she had with the forms she found online had done anything for her. Idly, she wondered if that particular slip up had cost anyone their jobs. Leaking paperwork online was generally frowned upon.

Crouching down, she reached under her bed, feeling for a box. Her fingers caught on the side, and she tugged out the old metal. Brushing aside the blanket, she stared down, contemplating how she would get all of its precious contents into the park.

The hard drives would be easy, since she could claim them as her research notes. She'd already backed up the files, both on a Cloud and on another set of hard drives. These hard drives could be blanked before she left, and then redownloaded.

The maps and notes would be harder. Assuming that she put them into her clothing, she doubted that anyone would check with any real intensity, especially if she put her paperwork and the park map in her luggage. It would look like it belonged. Besides, if worse came to worse, she also had images of them backed up, too.

Picking up a bound book, she smiled to herself. _Die Funf Todesarten_, one of the few books about the Muertes Archipelago. Had it not been for that auction in her childhood, she never would have even known about its existence. She had to admire its dedication. The author, Moritz Lutz, and the other scientists had rigorously recorded all they had observed about the five islands during their visit.

_Die Fünf Todesarten_ would be easy to get in. She doubted anyone knew what it was, and even if they might, her copy was in German. It has been hard to learn, but worth it for the extra security. Still, she would have to keep an eye out for anyone who knew German.

_Do they even still care about Sorna at all?_ Cathy wondered, staring at the book. As far as she had seen, no one had been on the island since her accident, save the San Diego Incident. Not even the fisherman went there if the reviews of the region were to be believed.

Dr. Wu was the major concern. He had been the head geneticist at the first park, and was now the head of Jurassic World's genetic sector. Masrani's website had proudly boasted that particular fact. That meant Wu knew about Sorna. She would have to find some way of getting the active personnel listing to compare with her old hiring ledger.

Well, either way, she had a lot of stuff to pack, even aside from her personal collection. Living in the park would mean she couldn't afford to forget anything. No doubt they would have everything available to the staff for a reduced price, but she wasn't too keen about putting money into InGen's pockets. Not to mention that reduced prices were still exorbitant in a place like Jurassic World.

On some level though, she couldn't help her excitement. She had never been to Jurassic World personally, so this would be her first time. She might even be able to convince one of the guides to give her the grand tour by mentioning that. Get more insight than usual.

In the meanwhile, she would have to tell her parents. No doubt, they would want to celebrate. She could humour them this once.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Cathy checked the clock. About an hour until she would have to leave to meet her parents for dinner. Glancing at her suitcase, she debated just continuing to pack, but she knew she would prefer to shower sooner rather than later, just to be sure.

Still, she wanted to look good for her parents. They, more than anyone, knew what she was like and still accepted her. Besides, they were going to a nice place, and she did not want to embarrass them.

Reaching into the bathroom, she flicked the lights on. Leaning a hand on the counter, she glanced at herself in the full length mirror that lay beside it. A couple weeks of not having to show up for class had made her lax about her appearance. Normally, she made at least an effort to tame her hair, but the mess of brown locks had given her the appearance of a wild child. The slight darkness under her eyes could be covered with a slight touch of makeup. _Shower first_, she reminded herself.

Once her shirt was gone, she was faced with her other trademark look. Even as time had gone on, the scars had remained in place. Snaking up from under her pants hem all the way up to her collarbones were collections of 'U' shaped marks, tinged with darker colour along their centres.

Bite scarring, she reflected flatly. She had seen the same marks on the dinosaurs in the park occasionally, no matter how hard the park staff tried to hide it. The narrow, thin bites were unmistakable; Compsognathus. The small dinosaurs moved in swarms, but were rarely considered dangerous. Hell, the park was content to pretend they did not exist.

To a small child though, they were nearly life threatening. It had been a miracle her parents were close enough to hear her scream, and even more so that the Compsognathus had backed off. The attack had almost killed her.

Had it not been for InGen footing the bill and stepping in, she might have. It had cost them, though. After all, an island full of dinosaurs was not to be taken lightly, especially when multiple incidents of injury and death had occurred. The already struggling company had received one too many nails in the coffin, and sank in the next few years.

Cathy's parents had acquired some of their property as part of the settlement. Most of the maps she had in her suitcase were part of that. Back then, it had simply been her father thinking she would like them, seeing as she liked maps. Now it was an important part of her plans.

Her accident had given her the opportunity to gain the tools needed to strike back, and make things right.

In the meantime, she had to get ready for dinner. As she worked her pants off, she was glad the scarring was less serious down there. The small dinosaurs had mainly gone for her chest, arms, and back, which made them quite convenient to hide. The Californian heat was less convenient, and she almost dreaded the weather she would have to face on Nublar, but anything was worth it.

Tossing aside the last of her clothing, she stepped into the large bath, reassured by the grips on the bottom. Looking around, she retrieved her sponge before turning on the water. In contrast to the pressure of her clothing, she had trouble actually feeling the water running over her body. It had taken the doctors a long time to explain it to her as a kid, but it was something she had grown used to. Her scars could sense if something moved or pressed against them, but anything else just rolled over them with no sensation.

There were times she was thankful for that, like bathing. When she had first been attacked, it had been hell, though only part of that had been because of the scars themselves. The bacteria in the wounds were the larger problem. Compsognathus were like Komodo Dragons in that their bites were laden with bacteria. Larger animals would largely be unaffected, but a small child was no resistance.

Washing the wounds had been imperative, but even by the time they reached Costa Rica, the bacteria had worked itself into her system. They had only been able to keep her stable. She couldn't remember much of childhood, but that whole ordeal was one large blank in her mind. She tried to ignore the heightened awareness of her own body, thinking about the bacteria still in her.

The archaebacterium had been resilient to everything, but eventually her body had managed an uneasy solution. Even now, the bacterium were still in her body, but she was able to live with it, with precautions.

Cathy snapped herself out of her thoughts by wringing her sponge out above her head, dousing her hair. Running the sponge over her body, she was just glad she could handle it now.

Once she got into the rhythm, she was easily able to clean herself off. Her arms and face were easier, and she didn't feel like wasting too much time on her appearance. Just enough to get clean. She had a sneaking suspicion that she would have to care more when she got to the park. A large company like InGen probably had some standards they wanted to hold their staff to.

Satisfied with her appearance, Cathy stepped out of the bath, taking up her seat on the chair once more as she began the slow process of drying herself off. Fortunately, she had gotten quite skilled at the process, guiding her towel over quickly in order to get the largest share of water off. The remainder quickly dried between the exposure and her hair dryer.

Slipping her underwear back on, she carried her clothes under one arm, depositing them to the side as she walked over to her closet. All things considered, it was pretty bare, and unvaried. Most of her clothing was dark and long. The more she could minimize skin exposure, the better. She didn't particularly mind the scars, but she hated the looks she got.

Still, she did have a couple of things that stood out, like the dress she was intending to wear to dinner. The high neck and long sleeves looked far too elegant for her to ever get much use out of it, but considering the restaurant they were headed to, it fit perfectly. One of the many times she appreciated the luck of her parents being wealthy.

It was relatively easy to fit herself into, as the fabric was quite smooth, and settled over her skin with no problem. It had taken her mother and her quite a bit of time to find a dress she would be comfortable in, but her mother had been exceptionally patient. It continued to surprise Cathy how hard they worked to accommodate her, even when they had their own concerns.

It was the least she could do to extend them the same courtesy. Glancing at the clock, she was happy to note that she was still going to be early.

* * *

Cathy supposed part of her training had come from trying to present herself well during dinners out. Her family weren't celebrities, but she was held to a certain standard of appearance when they went out. Especially when they went to nice places.

"Well look who it is." Cathy smiled as her parents stood up, moving in for a hug. Were it anyone else, she would have denied them. Instead, she threw up her arms, hugging them both. Between her father's tall frame and her mother's slender one, Cathy felt surprisingly comfortable.

Her father pulled away first, smiling down at her. "About time we all got back together. How have you been?"

"Busy. Working on packing, as well as wrapping up my studies," Cathy explained as she sat down.

"Have you been enjoying your time off? School ended a few weeks ago," her mother pointed out, picking up the menu off-handedly.

"Mostly just working. I had a lot of data that needed ordering and archiving. Especially with my upcoming job."

"You really should get out more," her mother chided.

"As I said, lots of work to be done. How have you been?" she asked, trying to draw the focus away from herself.

"Been working hard as well," her father agreed. "Business has been on the upswing. Lots of meetings with the higher ups."

"Hopefully this didn't cause you to miss anything important."

"Oh, no worries. Nothing was happening tonight, and besides, I have to celebrate my daughter getting her dream job."

Cathy smiled, partially because she could never resist it when her parents were happy, but also because of her father's words. No sense of hostility or bitterness in them. It seemed he had nothing against them anymore, which worked in her favour.

"Cathy, what are you having for dinner?" her mother interrupted. Cathy flicked through the menu quickly, skimming passed the light and frilly dishes.

"I'll have a steak, blue rare," she requested confidently. She had long learned that the key was to simply state what you wanted confidently. Even so, she caught he look that the waiter gave her, as if trying to make sure she was saying what he heard, but she simply ignored him. A part of her found it humorous that if her father had ordered the same thing, they would not have looked at him twice.

But even as the order came around to her father, she had to laugh as he ordered a specifically cooked and seasoned steak. The waiter walked away to convey their orders, and Cathy sighed as she began to compose her thoughts. She hadn't really come to this meal with a plan in mind, and that was not something she was used to.

"How were your classes?" her father inquired.

"They went well. I learned a lot that I cannot wait to put into use. I am just glad that I am done with some of my professors."

"They give you any trouble?"

"Not really," Cathy assured, glancing at her mother. She didn't want to hear about one of her professors getting into trouble. "We just had to work at communicating some of the aspects of my research over. Trying to convince the language department about the validity of my research was an uphill climb."

"Well, I'm glad you got through to them. You'll have to show us some of your work some time. Sounds fascinating."

"Sure. Maybe when I get back," Cathy half promised. She knew her parents weren't so interested in the actual content as just having her do something she liked. At the same time, she knew that no matter how old she was, the incident would always be fresh in their memories. Frankly, it was a miracle they had allowed her to pursue it this far.

It was partially their fault.

Cathy pushed aside the thought as food began arriving. Hungrily, she looked down at the meal before her. The outside had the look of being cooked, but that was where it ended. The center was still very red, and only a few steps above having been sliced straight off the animal.

"Thanks for taking me out." Cathy smiled as she took the first bite. The meat was quite soft, and she could practically feel it melt as she chewed.

"Believe me, it was our pleasure. Besides, not many places will serve that," her mother pointed out. Cathy had to admit it was true. "Speaking of, will you be able to get enough to eat when you start working?"

"Jurassic World has some investments by grocery suppliers. I know for a fact that there is a general grocery on the island. The employee housing also has kitchens, so I can prepare my own meals. No shortage of meat."

"Never would have thought my daughter would be such a carnivore," her father chuckled. Cathy had to laugh at that; despite the trouble it sometimes caused, she did find it funny. She watched passively as her parents took sips from their wine, glancing at her own water disinterestedly.

Had she a choice in the matter, she would have chosen water anyway, but her physiology did not play well with alcohol, or most fermented things for that matter. At least her parents wouldn't have to worry about her going and drinking.

"How much free time will you have?" her mother asked.

"Probably not a lot at first, seeing as I will be having orientations and such, but after that it will depend on the contract," Cathy explained vaguely. That would be the official terms of course, but she doubted she would let herself rest much even when she wasn't required to be working. Getting to this point had already cost her a lot of time, and she couldn't afford to sit around.

"Well, try and enjoy at least a little bit while you're there. Do you want the _MV Interloper_ brought over, maybe enjoy some…"

Cathy tuned out her parent's suppositions of all the "fun" things she could do with the boat, as most of them revolved around spending time in the sun, or around other people, two things she was not keen on. However, it did make the gears in her head turn.

She had considered bringing the boat along, though she had long struggled to find a reason her parents would allow it. While it was technically hers, they had purchased it for her, so they technically had the final say. She wasn't quite sure what she would use it for, but it was always good to have.

"That would be wonderful," she finally agreed. There was a moment where she could see her parents waiting for her to continue, but it was thankfully short.

"I'll make the arrangement," her father promised before continuing on some tangent. She smiled and nodded occasionally, simply enjoying her parents' company. She laughed at her father's jokes while making a few of her own before both of them had to be reminded of etiquette by her mother, who just smiled slightly despite her advice.

Just for one evening, it all felt normal.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Even through the brochures and videos, Cathy was not prepared for how bright and modern the boat was. The planks were perfectly level, and even the ones bordering the curved metal of the sides of the ship were perfectly fit to the schematics. 'No expense spared' indeed. Everything in the foyer was an architect's dream, right down to the small embellishments on the column bases.

Cathy crouched down, inspecting the designs. She could probably track down the specifications of the design given enough time. The American Cruise Lines built the ships that would take them through the circuit tour of the West Coast until they reached the transfer hub in Punta Arenas. She'd seen the schematics for this particular atrium design, and in fact, they had gone through several iterations in the terms of the contract. She could only assume it was some conflict between the construction company and the PR department.

Reaching out, she traced the patterns, feeling the grooves. The columns themselves were exactly as they appeared in the designs, but it didn't include the small details. She could have traced the exact curve of the support structures, and found where the most important vents were, but here was something she had no knowledge of.

It was a little odd, like reaching into a book, and having it reach back. Even with some of the deadness in her fingers, she could feel the smooth polishing and man hours that must have gone into it. The little details were the work of humans, and not included in the diagrams.

Rapid, off tempo footsteps behind her made her jump to her feet, straightening up self-consciously. A child ran through the lobby, head whipping about energetically to take in every small detail. With their wide eyes and bright smile, Cathy could easily tell they were loving every minute of it. Something that made an unpleasant feeling curl up in her stomach.

She didn't have much of a chance to ponder on it as the parent's child swooped in and obscured them from view, ushering them off to make some unknown appointment. That was one thing that Cathy had picked up on soon after stepping on the ship; everyone seemed to be in a damn hurry. Of course, part of that was the cruise's fault. Jurassic World liners offered all kinds of on-board entertainment, and the way the pamphlets listed them it seemed like it was some kind of international crime not to enjoy them all.

Technically, she did have access to a number of them for free. No doubt as an attempt to 'wow' her with the benefits right off the bat, but she had little interest in the indoor pools or other events. Whenever she had to pass through the main deck and see all the sunbathers, she felt the need to draw her hood up and hide in the shade.

It turned out that the worst part of being onboard the ship was actually being _onboard_ the ship.

She could recite every service the ships offered, along with the names of each one from the years of pamphlets she had collected, but that had not prepared her for actually being on the ship. There was so much activity, as families and couples and groups of every stripe moved about the ship. It was far more chaotic than observing the dinosaurs.

It didn't matter too much, she reminded herself. After all, she had work to do, even during the trip. Her luggage had gotten aboard easily, with her employment papers doing most of the talking. Nobody was really expected to be a risk to the park, after all.

Soon, she was back in her room, the click of the lock easing her nerves. The room itself had a bit of a warmer, almost rustic look to it when compared to the rest of the ship, like a midwestern hotel. Of all the amenities inside, she'd barely touched any of them. The TV was off, the remotes all in a line. The bed looked barely slept in, with only one side showing the slightest shift in the pillows, and she hadn't even touched the window. The only thing she had used was the bathroom, and for the most part, her toiletries floated in and out of the bag she kept them in.

On her excursion about the ship, she had seen glimpses into some of the other passenger's rooms. Families had unpacked some of their clothing, the mess still visible in plain sight. Others had brought along a few things, added almost unnoticeably to the aesthetic. But in every case, it seemed like everyone had brought something with them.

She was here for a different reason than most of them. Presumably, there was a good chance there were other potential employees onboard, heading to the park the same way as her. Given that the academic year had just ended, there were likely dozens of applicants, and the company was bound to need some new employees.

Cathy paused halfway through opening her laptop as the thought hit her. There might be some other new recruits, or interns, and she would likely be expected to participate in the orientations with them. To her, they were a greater risk than almost any of the scientists already there. They would ask more questions, and want to build connections, just like the other students she had worked with. Her superiors would more than likely show her the ropes, and get her going, rather than ask too many questions about her individual research. After all, this was a park foremost; research was largely into the demographics and projections for business.

A sneer curled onto Cathy's face the more she thought about it, and she shrugged it off in favour of continuing with her project. The scarcer she made herself these few days on sea, the better. After all, she didn't want anyone prying into her business if she could avoid it.

In the meanwhile, she had more important things to do. She wasn't quite going to risk digging through her hard drives just yet, but she could relax and prepare at the same time. Pushing her laptop aside to where she could keep an eye out, she picked up her copy of _Die Funf Todesarten_, smiling as she easily navigated to where she had left off.

It was a few hours later when a knock came at her door. Glancing up from her book, she watched it for a moment, waiting for whoever it was to make the first move. To her surprise, a slip of paper was pushed under the door. She couldn't make out any real details, so she reluctantly stood up.

Picking up the slip of paper, she squinted at the font. It seemed fairly well designed, so it was either an official piece, or made by someone with experience. _Jurassic World Recruit Meet-Up_.

"Just my luck," Cathy muttered, turning it over in her hands. _Location: Third Floor Activities Lounge_. Her frown deepened; this was official. There was no indication if it was limited to just the vet staff, or if it would be broader, and that troubled Cathy deeply. It could be a small, formal event, or a larger, more chaotic one.

Setting it down at the table, she picked at the small details. The formatting was very standard, with straight to the point vocabulary. Not necessarily something an advertiser would have done. This seemed more like an internal message, which meant it probably came from someone in the department.

If that was true, then it meant she would mostly be worrying about meeting other veterinary staff. With a smile, she assured herself that she could handle that. She had plenty of experience deflecting inquiries into her work, even by specialists. This would just be another test.

It also meant that it was a less formal event, so she would be free to show up as she was. Turning the slip over in her hand, she glanced at the time, mentally routing her way as well as the deadlines. She had some time until then.

* * *

Tossing her coat aside, Cathy allowed herself to fall gracelessly on her bed, ignoring the pulse of pain that accompanied it. Her scars were acting up again. She didn't have the energy to care right now.

The event had been required, and of course, a complete waste of time. She had shown up at almost the perfect time; not too early so as to be stuck with others alone, not too late as to be noted. It had been easy enough to skirt through, feigning an exhaustion that became more real as the night progressed.

Aside from the event organizer, who had been a basic pencil pusher, there had been a few other people, but none were worth mentioning. They all seemed content enough to be at the event, asking boringly predictable questions.

_What will our first assignments be like? _Standard practice was to have the interns observe, and then begin rotations. It was just common sense. Other questions had wanted to make her roll her eyes, or even laugh at the idiots.

_What are the benefits like?_

_Do we get discounts at Main Street?_

One or two had asked some leading questions to try and earn brownie points with the organizer, but she didn't particularly care. She just needed to be good enough to be kept on board. If the others got the spotlight, it would keep the attention off her for just that little bit longer. She didn't need to be an interesting hire. She just needed to be competent.

Rolling over, she smiled to herself. This would be too easy. Despite all their efforts, none of the others had the slightest idea how it worked. Jurassic World, for all its high-tech and glamour, had a heavy focus on consistency. Despite the claims of ambition, they were all about the numbers, and making the required jumps in attractions to keep the numbers up.

Her smile faded as she thought about the one person that _had_ caught her attention. Maria Garcia, another one of the hires. She had been the only face in the crowd that Cathy had recognized, and for good reason. Even though they had never met, Cathy knew Maria's face. The latter's work on genetics was...interesting.

It had been during the early part of the summer break when Cathy had read her thesis. Trawling through papers had become a pastime of Cathy's, and the title had instantly caught her attention. The topic was a treatise on being able to expand genetic pools for research outside of the close relatives to a species. Fundamentally, it was brilliant.

In practice, Cathy could only see it going horribly wrong. Lack of understanding the genetic stability of animals had been what led to the first park going under, and adding yet more unknown genes to the dinosaurs would only worsen the problem. And Jurassic World would pay for it.

Their efforts to stockpile dinosaur DNA had been admirable, and almost redeemable. Even by her own admission, the efforts to try and reconstruct whole strands was impressive, but it didn't matter when they used the completed base strands as templates, rather than the actual blueprint.

The pop of a firework startled her out of her thoughts, and she tilted her head back to glare out the window. Over the bottom, she could see the dim glow of the coastside town, and in the wake of the explosion, cheers lifted through the air as the celebrations started in earnest. Reaching over for her pillow, Cathy pressed it over her head, trying to drown it out.

It had been like this almost every night along the way. The liner would stop at a port, and people would disembark to enjoy an evening on shore. Most of the families were back at a reasonable hour, but the couples and large parties of younger people were taking advantage of the late night south-of-the-border hospitalities.

It was going to be another long night.

* * *

Cathy was not sad when it came time to switch ships. The cruise liner had pulled into port with most of its original passengers, and everyone had gotten off in a big mess.

Glancing behind her, she couldn't see the port anymore, though she honestly didn't care how long it had been since she could. What mattered was ahead of her. It was the last leg of the journey, and despite her fears, she couldn't help feeling excited. It didn't matter that there were too many people around her, or even her worries about getting into the park.

She was almost there. Somewhere ahead of them was the island.

Cathy allowed herself one deep breath of relaxation before turning away, switching gears. Adjusting her suitcase so it was tucked securely behind her legs, she opened her journal, turning to the newest blank pages.

Jotting down a few last notes about some of the other hires, she mentally switched tracks inwards. Even with some cover in the mass of hires, she would have to temper her own behaviour until she had things down pat.

To that end, she had already worked on her standard responses and cover story. She was just an above-average student who did a project related to the park and found dinosaurs to be "cool." She didn't have any particular interest in any topic, and was just happy to help out where she could, maybe get a good mark on her resume.

A small smile worked its way onto her lips as she thought about how disgustingly typical it was. No one would think to look at it twice. No doubt, there were dozens of people who had worked at the park for the same reason, even if they did not admit it to themselves. She could use that to her advantage.

A bump forced Cathy from her thoughts, and she turned to glare at whoever it was, but everyone was moving. It took Cathy a moment, but she quickly realized that they were arriving. Leaning over the edge of the ship, she could see the island up ahead, and she realized with a smile that everyone was struggling to get to their stuff.

Cathy stood up calmly, planning her exit. She knew for a fact there were a few other employees on the ship, and they would no doubt be clambering over each other in order to get there first. With her preparation, she could easily beat them all, but she didn't want that honour. It would actually be more enlightening to see who did scramble for it. She also didn't want to be last, or if she did, to play it off incidentally.

Weaving through the crowd, she kept her hood up, trying to ignore the people brushing past her. It wasn't until she reached the door to the inside of the ship that she realized she had been holding her breath. Carefully, she worked her way passed the rushing people, moving to take a seat on one of the couches by where they would let down the gangplank.

Pulling out her phone, she tried her best to look zoned out, going so far as to put in some headphones. Meanwhile, she tried her best to keep an eye out for some of the others she had spotted during the meeting. Once a couple of them had left, she could make her move.

It didn't take long before the lobby started getting crowded, with the aggressive types pushing to the front, their bags affording them the bare minimum amount of clearance possible. A few families formed an almost defensive band around them, and she spotted her first couple of employees, fidgeting over their hair or outfits. With a sigh, she stood up, her spot having afforded her a nice spot in the band just behind them.

Soon, the announcement came over the speakers, and everyone began pushing forward, stutter-stepping. Straightening her back, she did her best to avoid getting pushed around, thankful that she was only a single person in a group of families. The overly alert bundles of people had a strange way of reigning their kids in when their space overlapped with someone else's.

Stepping out onto the dock, Cathy was temporarily blinded by the brilliant ocean so close to her feet, and pulled her hood tighter over her head for a moment before pushing forward, feeling the sun's rays on her thin coat. The salty spray of the ocean hit her immediately, but a thinner scent caught her attention, stirring mixed emotions in her. The scent of reptiles.

Taking advantage of the gangplank's height, she scanned the pier, looking for where she was supposed to go. It didn't take her long; the park staff were routine to a fault. It was the same spot laid out in the official handbooks. They were practically at the base of the gangplank, cordoning off one segment of the end with a couple of buggies at the ready. A well groomed woman in a suit stood at the mouth of the ropes, shaking the hand of the second person Cathy had spotted aboard the ship. Cathy glanced behind her, noting another one hot on her tail. Perfect.

Swinging towards the ropes, she quickly removed her hood, trying to blend in as much as possible. She'd already taken care of her appearance earlier that morning, and with the jacket wrapped around her waist, she had a proper "go-getter" look.

"I take it this is where we are supposed to meet?" she asked, trying her best to look confused.

"That is correct. You must be Ms. Bowman, correct?"

"That's right," she affirmed, though didn't say anything else. She felt a sense of relief when the woman's eyes flicked behind her, narrowing for a moment in recognition. Good, the next person had her attention.

"Right this way, we'll be off in a moment," the woman instructed, stepping aside to let her in. The two that had entered before her were talking, but she took advantage of their distraction to head towards the cars, where some of the staff waited. One noticed her, and moved to take her bag.

Despite the skipping of her heart, she tried her best not to look too pained in handing it over. Thankfully, the man didn't seem to pay attention to her much, and fastened the bag into the carrying car carefully.

It would be a moment before they got underway, and she needed to keep people from talking to her. Taking out her phone, she opened up the camera, and began taking pictures of the pier, trying her best to look excited. No one wanted to talk to an over-enthusiastic shutterbug.

It didn't take long before everyone met up, and she noted thankfully that it seemed like Maria was not in this group. The woman in charge began speaking, trying to round everyone into one group. Putting away her phone, Cathy made a note to delete the images later; she'd need the memory for other things.

"Alright people, glad to see you all made it safe and sound! My name is Jacklyn Russell, and I am going to be your supervisor. Over the first part of your time here, I will be the one who helps organize and direct your efforts. For today, I will be showing you around the park, and giving you a general understanding of what we do and what you can look forward to. Now, let's get underway."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

It had taken a lot of restraint for Cathy not to betray her nervousness when the porters took their luggage at the exchange. Considering they would be going on a tour first, it only made sense for the luggage to be sent on ahead. The only thing she could think of was that every moment was another chance someone caught her.

So she tacked on her best attempt at a smile as the monorail slid smoothly away from the harbour, and to the park. Their guide was giving a canned speech, but she wasn't paying attention. How many times had she seen this section of the tour? Had to be several dozen times at the minimum.

She had to admit it was a clever marketing trick. The monorail was a nice touch; clean and futuristic, and using it to move passengers to the park was a good way of getting them "into the mood." The rushing jungles around them were perfectly groomed to not be a threat to the monorail despite the tunnel-like appearance. All according to specifications.

It was to immerse the customers; make them pretend for a moment that they were being whisked back in time, through the jungles of the Jurassic. Never mind that most of the species were from the Cretaceous.

Cathy heard a clamoring, and turned to see her colleagues crowding forward. _We must be approaching the gate_, she thought, leaning against the glass to look. And despite herself, she felt her breath hitch for a moment.

The gate was huge, and the dominating silver-trimmed blue letters stood out in the brilliant sunshine. With a massive creaking, the charcoal coloured wooden gates swung open, filling Cathy with a sense of amazement and wonder.

It quickly faded when she saw the main street, crowded with advertisements and tourists, drones buzzing the airspace.

"On the right you can see the Mosasaur pool. At three million gallons, it is the second largest aquarium in the world. Dr. Lynn is in charge of that particular attraction, and works closely with the handlers in order to make sure everything runs smoothly. If you are lucky, you may be able to apply to work with her."

Cathy perked up, turning away from the ghastly sight before her in order to tune in to the speech. This was new material, and while she didn't have a pencil and paper, she did have her phone. Quickly, she opened her notepad app, and began furiously typing names and positions.

"On the left side, you can see both the golf course and the bamboo forest. Popular attractions for our more mature audiences." Cathy had to roll her eyes at that, but still moved towards the left side for what would come next. As the monorail began to turn back towards the park, it would begin to lower down to the Innovation Center Station, but before then, it passed by one very important feature.

Standing on her toes, Cathy's eyes scanned the section of jungle beneath them. They had just passed over the metal and concrete security wall, and she could see the log overpass the visitors used to observe its inhabitant. Normally, it would be hard to pick it out in the foliage, but Cathy was used to spotting them.

The greyish skin of the Tyrannosaurus was a perfect shade for breaking up her large form among the striped shadows of the trees. A thin series of darker stripes on her back further contributed to the appearance. Even more impressive was her head, which was short, but very powerful. Underneath the raised cheek bones were impressive muscles that could snap her massive jaws shut easily. With each step, Cathy could see the trees sway slightly, and she felt a chill run down her spine. Even given the circumstances, she could not help but smile.

The Rex was one of the animals to have survived from the original park, and showed it. She was less refined than the others, and had scars across her face and back consistent with raptor claws. Seeing such a symbol of pure power was thrilling.

The moment was over too soon as the rail dipped below viewing level. Some of the others groaned in disappointment, but Cathy ignored them as Jacklyn continued speaking. "Dr. Jones is in charge of the Tyrannosaurus Kingdom, but access to that division is restricted to senior employees. Now, if you follow me, we are arriving at the station."

The monorail doors opened into a carefully maintained and air conditioned station. If Cathy had to guess, they would likely exit through the streetside doors, and enter the park proper in order to showcase some of the attractions and show off some animals.

She took a moment to look around, taking in the signs and atmosphere of the station. The blue colouration to everything was no doubt designed to look "science-y", but she had to admit it did look nice. Through the angled skylights, she could see the mountain range. Squinting, she could still make out the vague impression of what had once been man-made foundations in the cliff face, long torn down. Without knowing they were there, it would have been much harder.

The remains of the first attempt at an aviary, back when it had been _Jurassic Park_.

"As entry level veterinarians, you will first be shadowing some of the workers in the less risky park divisions. Two of them are nearby; the Gentle Giants and the Pachy Arena. Both are headed under Dr. Roth, who will be managing your positions for the first part of your internship."

Another note to add. Cathy followed close in the group as they walked, stepping out onto Main Street. Without the interruption of the monorail or vaulted ceilings, the tropical sun once more beat down on Cathy and she squinted her eyes. It was all she could do to avoid hissing, the combination of heat and blinding light irritating her senses.

The smells and sounds of Main Street hit her harder than the sun. The entire space of the street was taken up with people, garbed in garishly tourist-y colours and patterns. Even worse was the scent of grill char and alcohol. Despite her discomfort, she found herself shrinking closer to her group as they moved into the masses.

The walk down to the end of Main Street was the longest of her life, and she was just relieved when the crowd cleared slightly by the time they reached the fencing of the Mosasaur exhibit. Jacklyn paused for a moment beside the massive tank, sensing the eagerness of some of the others to take a look up close.

Cathy found herself joining them, looking out at the water, scouring the surface for any hint of the creature. For once, she was at a loss; she'd never had to look for aquatic animals.

"There it is!"

Cathy automatically turned to look to see who had spotted it, but all the others were looking towards her. Turning around, she was surprised to see a small child pointing out into the water, and she took a half step back before processing what he had said.

When she followed his finger, she could indeed see the dark shadow of the Mosasaur moving beneath the surface. It took a moment to make out the details, but when it moved, it was almost snake-like, slithering through the water. It never broke the surface, but in the few moments that it was visible, she felt breathless as she realized just how big it was.

That thing could snap her up and not even think about it.

And then they were moving again. Cathy glanced over her shoulder, making a mental note to come back to the mosasaur exhibit. Idly, she wondered if they kept autonomous recording in the tank.

The sound of children screaming and playing caught her attention, and she grimaced as she suddenly remembered just what hell the Gentle Giants was. The outside pen was _swamped_ with children and their parents, forming a human wall.

Just as she was about to lose her composure, Jacklyn turned, leading them around the mass of people. Beside the main building was a gate inset in the wall, clearly designed to prevent entry to the area. A card was pressed to a scanner, and the door unlocked. "Watch the step."

Crossing the threshold of the door, Cathy noticed a person was waiting for them, with a slightly greyish undershirt topped by a cream coloured vest, marking them as part of the veterinary staff.

"Dr. Roth, nice to see you could meet us," Jacklyn greeted cheerily. As the others thinned into a semi circle, Cathy got her first clear look at the doctor.

She seemed of the age to be able to fit in with Cathy's professors, but her physique was more akin to a field researcher. A small smile was all she allowed herself as she shook Jacklyn's hand. _Professional_, Cathy noted.

"Of course. It is always good to get some fresh blood in the program. Now, I am sure you all are eager to get inside, but before we do, there are some procedures to follow. On entering, please use the sinks to wash your hands thoroughly, then grab some handling gloves. Do not touch the animals without handler permission, or handle equipment without authorization."

One by one they filtered through the staff entrance into the building. The entrance was quite simple, serving as a storage room and sanitation station. The row of sinks was obviously designed to handle workers coming in shifts, and it did not take long for everyone to follow procedure. She had to stifle a chuckle as she saw the others flexing their fingers uncomfortably inside the gloves. She actually felt more comfortable with her hands covered.

"Alright everyone, follow after me," Dr. Roth instructed firmly, leading them into the staff area. Immediately, the sound of the crowd was back, roaring through the open doorways connecting the work area with the display pen. The only thing separating them was a low wall. A few of the children looked over at them as they came into view, but were quickly distracted by the young dinosaurs.

From this angle, Cathy could see the young babies, and immediately, she found herself frowning. They were all _wrong_. The frills of the Triceratops were too tall and thin, the Parasaurolophus had crests, and… Cathy had to fight a wave of deep hatred as she saw the teeth in the Gallimimus beaks.

Who on earth had been in charge of _that_?

This time she couldn't hold back her scowl. The only thing she could do was avert her eyes away from the...mistakes. Forget Main Street, this was going to be the worst experience of her life.

"As you can see, we have a few different species here on display. A lot of the time we have the vets work with the young in order to get familiar with the way they work before they grow old enough to join the herd," Dr. Roth explained.

"Aren't you worried about imprinting?" Cathy asked, no longer able to hold back. She was just thankful she managed to make it sound questioning rather than spiteful.

"Not exactly. Since dinosaurs are not an extant species, we don't have to worry about reintroducing them to the wild. By making them comfortable around humans, we don't have to worry about them freaking out about the park guests."

Thankfully, Cathy was spared any further scrutiny by another member of the group piping up. "So when do we work with the larger animals?"

"That will depend on your application and how impressed we are with your internship. Some of you have more experience with large animals, and that will certainly help your resume. However, working with dinosaurs is unlike any other experience, and thus you will largely be evaluated on your performance here in the park."

_Strangely egalitarian_, Cathy noted humourlessly. Glaring through the sunrays, she watched the staff. The keepers on duty stood in carefully scoped locations, looking over the children in the pen from behind their sunglasses. Their uniforms marked them as part of the veterinary division, but their equipment clearly indicated they were meant to be in the heart of the park.

Not a single defensive tool amidst the lot of them.

Cathy shoved the thought from her mind as the Doctor began giving instructions, no doubt testing them. Well, she was more than up to the challenge; anything to get her mind off the monstrosities on the other side of the fence.

* * *

A cold sense of dread hung over Cathy, and she knew for certain it was not the air conditioning.

The Creation Center lab was carefully climate controlled, with powerful air filtration systems that ran on their own backup power grid. Every room aside from the visitor observation hall was carefully sealed and the protocols strict.

"Dr. Wu, I'm so glad you could meet the new workers," Jackie thanked politely, shaking the older man's hand. His smile was a carefully controlled one, with the signs of his age showing nicely in the slight crinkles around his eyes. Even though he was not in his lab outfit, he was still clearly professional with a smart shirt that made him look like a slightly asiatic Steve Jobs.

"I assure you it was no problem. Thought I might come see the new blood for myself," he answered smoothly. He gave them a quick pass over, nodding slightly, and she could see him briefly soaking in the open admiration some of the others held for him.

Not entirely unwarranted, she had to admit.

"Well, as I am sure some of you are aware, this is the Creation Center, the lifeblood of Jurassic World. Here, we handle almost the entire process of creating dinosaurs for the park." Wu stepped to the side, turning his back to the glass, though he gestured as if he had it all memorized. Cathy didn't doubt he did. "Here, we take the genetic material gathered in the field and process it. InGen employees carefully screen the material into the databanks, where it can be used in order to create our dinosaurs."

Wu skillfully lead them down the pane of glass, pointing out other steps in the process, his measured smile and focused poise never breaking. It reminded Cathy of a predator, carefully composed and ready to spring. The way his eyes scoped out the crowd, she knew he was looking for the best picks.

Whether it was to eliminate challenge or enlist the best, she wasn't sure. Neither was particularly comforting. It was not a long tour to see all the publically available space. The subdivision of Masrani corporations meant that there were certain things they were not contractually able to see.

And it was one of the few places she was in the dark.

She knew how the old park did their genetic research; the process of "bringing it up the well" as Hammond had called it. But the specifics on how InGen under Masrani brought their animals to life was much scarcer. Jurassic World employees ran the park without the slightest idea of what went on behind the scenes. Somewhere in the walls of this building was the new technology that InGen had created to make their dinosaurs.

It was more curiosity than actual need that made her wonder. After all, most of the infrastructure was already on the island; she just needed to tune it up. But she did have an appreciation for steps forward in technology, especially in this case. It was almost a shame she was doing this for her own reasons, rather than sabotage. Someone was probably willing to pay loads of money for that tech.

Cathy suddenly became aware than Wu was wrapping up his presentation, throwing out some kind of stock pitch about the wonders of Jurassic World's genetic division. More concerning, he was shaking hands, his broad smile trying a little too hard to look sincere.

"Thank you for coming, Ms..?" Wu seemed to be inquiring as to the names of each of the applicants. Cathy was not sure she was entirely surprised. Wu seemed like the type to try and keep his finger on everything. Finally, it rolled to her turn, and she offered her hand as smoothly as she could, which still came out stilted.

"Thank you for coming, Ms..?"

"Cathy will do," she insisted, trying to hold back the flinch as he shook her hand. For a moment they met eyes, and she could see the brief narrowing of his eyes as he searched his memory, but they quickly moved to the next person in line, gauging that he didn't have time for small talk. She didn't give him the chance to reconsider, loosening her grip. Reflexively, he loosened his, and she slid out , moving away quickly, leaving him with the rest of the others.

It wasn't until they left the building that the cold feeling in her chest left.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The air smelled faintly of freshener, and the mint on the pillow completed the look. Still, it was a far more "home-like" hotel room than she was used to. Warm wood walls, and cream coloured furniture both worked to try and null some of the "hyper-modern" look of the rest of the park.

Her attention was less on the appeal to comfort, and more on her bags. Once they had been dismissed from the tour to settle into their rooms, she had taken that as her excuse to go check her things.

As she unzipped her suitcase, she smiled to herself, thankful Jurassic World has such heavy American investments. No security footage in the hotel rooms, which meant she was free to do whatever she wanted. Not that she wanted to be restricted to her room for her operations.

Lifting the lid, she began to sort through the materials she had packed with her. First came the books, each stuffed to the brim with other papers so as to protect them. Carefully, she opened up the first one, removing the pages she had placed inside. The papers had been painstakingly manipulated to fit perfectly with the other pages of the text, and she gently unfolded them, feeling the familiar crinkling of the aged paper as she flattened them out. She took a moment to admire the map of Nublar, unmarred by any human structures aside from indications of a couple of villages. No matter how they had reclaimed the island, it still bore the old face.

There were quite a few more papers like it. Most of the maps in _Die Funf Todesarten_ dealt with Sorna, but the ones in _The Next Step: An Evolution of God's Concepts_ were all Nublar. Technically, those were more important right now, but she could afford a moment of sentimentality.

Maps of the Atherton monorail plans, and staging plans were all meticulously laid out through the years of construction. She smiled to herself as she saw some dates slated for after the hurricane that had caused the evacuation. Plans that would never come to be, and were likely forgotten by the world. Idly, she wondered how much these would go for to a collector. Last she had checked, even the shirts from the old park sold at a pretty high price.

Next were the drives. Sliding one of the black boxes out, she checked the label just to make sure nothing had gotten misplaced. A timespan; one of the generic surveillance drives. Mentally checking the calendar, she made a note to backup the videos to her server before wiping it. It was almost time to overwrite the oldest ones.

The next few were also dated, and she set them aside according to order before finally picking up one of her more permanent ones. _Velociraptor Footage_. A small smile came to her lips as she gently traced the label, the images practically flashing before her eyes. The lithe, graceful hunters at all stages of their lives, perfectly captured here. She could pull up footage of the first kills, or the hatching of a raptor. She could find every sufferer of any of the island's diseases, and the seasonal behaviour all in one drive. Carefully culled from the years of footage into one chalice of information.

And the several drives beside it were the same to the other species. Of all the things she removed from her suitcase, she was most careful with these. John Hammond's motto had been in full force on these; they had been carefully selected to be resilient to just about anything that would ever threaten them and more, with a capacity that would make some professional programmers water at the mouth.

The last two were of similar design, but Cathy picked them up more eagerly, reading the labels with a borderline psychotic level of glee. _Suchomimus_ and _Mosasaurus_, the two species that hadn't been made on Sorna. Technically, she wouldn't be doing anything with them, but she couldn't turn down the opportunity. After all, the Suchomimus would be interesting to compare to the Baryonyx, and the Mosasaur had no contemporary on Sorna, for good reason.

Granted, they at least had the common sense to hold the Mosasaur in the Lagoon, unlike the first park, which had started construction of the aquatic center near the northern beaches just before everything went to hell. Setting down the drives, she pulled out her phone, making a note to visit the site, and see if anything remained there. It would be beyond the fence, but she would be headed there anyway in the future. Besides, it would be fascinating to see. While the disaster would have potentially released the planned Tylosaurus, a part of her was sad they had not got that far. She would have her hands on the data by now if they had.

Looking at the information spread out in front of her, she took a moment to inhale, a shiver sliding along her spine at the smell of old paper. This was her comfort zone.

In the meantime, it would do her well to get them set into a more discreet, but still accessible place. Her eyes immediately fell on the desk, appraising its size. Picking up one of the drives, she opened one of the drawers, comparing to see if it would fit. She could probably fit a few in there.

With the drawers in the heavy desk, she would be able to store her drives easily, but that still left the maps. But she had come prepared. Opening her second suitcase, she pulled out a couple of binders, the plastic sheets within flapping around as she angled it.

Opening it, she carefully began slipping the pages into the sheets, selecting only the Nublar ones. She would have a second binder for her Sorna maps. That would come later.

Seeing both binders in front of her gave her a sense of accomplishment, and a small part of her took pride in just how well she had prepared for this. She knew better than to jinx it, though. These people were prideful, not dumb. That would afford her some amount of blindness, but she still had to be careful, especially where they were watching.

The park had coverage of the entire island with its surveillance, with only small blind spots, like the hotel rooms. It still had its weaknesses, like not being able to track individual positions, but even so, it was something to be worried about. Not to mention if she was needed while far out of range. She would _have_ to be organized.

Looking around, a part of her itched to keep moving, to take the next step, to lay the next plan, but she knew there was nothing she could do right now. All she could do was relax for the evening.

There were still a few things to do. Transfer her clothes to the closet, unpack her small items, and hook up her laptop. She decided once she had wrapped up, she would finally take a breather, and maybe watch some of the raptor footage. She still had some synthesizing to finish on that end. She almost had the newest version right where she wanted it. As an afterthought, she made a note to move some of the more pertinent audio files to her phone later. It would make for good field testing.

* * *

The raptor footage hadn't kept her attention for long. Not when there were dinosaurs nearby.

It was too late for her to get anywhere near the fields and spend any decent amount of time looking at the park, so she had decided to stay closer. Main Street had been a bit too noisy with families going for dinner, and others going for drinks.

Fortunately, that meant that the Underwater Observatory was relatively empty. There were still certainly crowds, but they moved regularly, sliding through to see the next scene.

Cathy ignored them in favour of leaning against the glass, peering into the gloom. The mineral content of the water, and the careful treatment process meant that the water was going to be murky even in direct sunlight, but she still felt a little disheartened that she could only see so much.

Still, it was calming. As time went on, there were less and less crowds, and the families seemed keen on being in their own little world. She was left to just herself, and the immense weight of the atmosphere.

A shade in the gloom made her perk up, and she carefully pressed her ear to the glass, closing her eyes as the cold began to trickle through her skin. She couldn't filter everything out, but she was able to pick up on some sounds.

It was low, as expected of such a large organism, but she would have to get an audio sampling later to account for the water shifting the pitch. The rumble was something she was accustomed to from listening to the larger carnivores.

She could almost imagine the tiny micro-movements of the skin about its neck as it growled, shaking slightly like a Tyrannosaurus. She wondered how the fatty tissue around the neck would affect the sound.

Quietly, Cathy listened to the sound, mind filtering and comparing other sounds and facts. There were so many questions to be asked of such a simple thing as even the unconscious vocalizations. It was a shame there was only one sample. She would have to check the Plesiosaur Pond at some point in order to compare.

"Great sound, isn't it?"

Cathy's eyes snapped open, and she briefly glared at the person talking to her before her eyes snapped to the Jurassic World nametag. _Sarah Niobrara, Mosasaur Handler_.

Sarah's eyes were fortunately looking out into the water rather than at Cathy, and she forced the frustration off her face. She tried to read the other woman's expression, before deciding it was likely part of their normal bit. Talk about some basic facts, make some talk, pitch the show time. Standard procedure.

"It's certainly unique." A basic agreement, but she felt a sense of burning curiosity, one that pressed her to continue. "You know...I have heard that whales can adjust their calls to the background volume. I wonder if the Mosasaurus can do the same."

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Sarah turn towards her with a brief look of appraisal. "That is an interesting question. Well, I can tell you from my own experience that it is certainly louder when it comes above water. That's what these are for."

Sarah chuckled slightly as she pulled a pair of earplugs out of her pocket. "Many of the dinosaurs peak over a hundred decibels, and the Mosasaurus is no exception. Most of the time, that isn't an issue, but when it breaches the surface, the roar it emits can eventually wear down hearing."

Cathy wasn't even bothering to hide her interest. "How about their hertz? How many vocalizations slip below auditory levels?"

"Some do. Fortunately, the Mosasaurus only really uses them while submerged," Sarah explained before pausing a moment. "Are you one of the new hires? You seem to be a bit more interested in the topic than some."

"Just shipped on today. Thought I might check out some of the attractions," Cathy responded easily. She looked back out at the water, gears in her brain turning. She wanted information, but she was unsure how far to push it.

At most, Sarah would likely just put in a mention of her being interested, and maybe suspect she had studied a bit beforehand. No, better to make it seem like she was more questioning than knowing.

"How does their biology affect their sound?"

For some odd reason, Sarah seemed to take a second to compose an answer. Maybe it had been too much to assume she intimately knew their biology. "Well, it's not something we've studied a whole lot outside of a safety perspective."

Sarah shrugged at the end, though something in her expression seemed a little uncomfortable. Cathy tried to put on her best smile. "Don't worry, I won't squeal on you."

"The specifics of the animal's biology are a patented secret, but from my own experience, as it has gotten older, the sound it makes has gotten deeper, and has a bit more of a rumble. I would say the pitch has to do with its size, but I'm not sure about the rumble. The larynx substitute in birds was developed after the dinosaurs, so I don't think it's that. It might have to do with the palette."

Cathy nodded, looking at the Mosasaurus as it passed. It wasn't like they could easily look in its mouth and see how everything worked. But more on the forefront of her mind was the information leading into that. The workers didn't know the specifics of their dinosaurs.

She had known about that policy for a long time, but assumed the handlers were given some kind of dossier about basics. From the sound of it, they were given a set of policies and rules, and told to follow them. That was a _very_ interesting confirmation of her suspicions.

"Any ideas on their lungs? Are they unidirectional like a crocodile's?"

"More like whales. That much I do know, but I had to look that up myself. Let me tell you, it was some stiff competition getting this job. Do you know how many people would kill to be a Mosasaurus handler?"

"I can only imagine," Cathy half-sympathized. "What lead you into it?"

"I worked as an animal trainer. Paleontology kind of interested me, but I wasn't the type to go out and dig the fossils up. Caught someone's eye, and got recommended here. Pretty lucky in that regard."

Cathy suspected she was more than just "eye catching" if she got recommended here. She made a note to look into her occupational history first chance she got. Might be useful to understand the kind of people they were hiring. In the meantime, this was a unique opportunity.

She could easily work out as much information as she could glean from Sarah, but she suspected there was more she could do. Getting a job was all about impressing the bosses and building a rapport. This could easily be the start.

"So what's it like working with the animals?"

"Well, the Mosasaurus is a bit different than some of the other marine animals I've worked with. A lot of them are pretty friendly, if occasionally temperamental. The Mosasaurus works on its own schedule. We can influence it by offering it food, but it can regulate its metabolism how it wants, and it knows it will get fed eventually."

"Seems like it would be a problem for the show."

"Well, even if it doesn't breach, the meal will attract its attention. We have the submerging seats in order to ensure they get at least part of a show," Sarah explained. "You ever seen them?"

"Only in videos," Cathy explained with a shrug. Honestly, she didn't really care. It was all spectacle, with no real research purpose. She raised an eyebrow as Sarah fished in another pocket, drawing out a slip of paper and a pen. A quick scrawl later, and she passed the paper over to Cathy.

"Just write the date and time of the show, and it will get you into the front rows. Wear something you don't mind getting soaked. Afterwards, we can talk a bit more about the Mosasaurus. Sound good?"

Cathy was silent for a moment, holding the slightly cool piece of paper in her hand, processing what had happened. She could use that time to do a lot, but at the same time, this was building connections. "Alright, sounds like a good plan. You gotta get going?"

"Actually, we should all be headed out," Sarah explained, tapping her watch. "Exhibit's closing soon, so I need to start clearing people out. Good luck with your orientation. Try and work with Dr. Withers."

Cathy filed the information away for later, still not entirely sure what had happened. The corner of her lip curled in a small smile, and she tucked the ticket away. She could use this.

She would have to review her footage, and find out more about the handlers. The more she thought about it, the more she thought she could recognize Sarah from her footage. It would be a bit of a task trying to track her connections, but this gave her a way to trace the information up to the top. She would peel it back layer by layer until she could take it, and exploit every last second of it.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Cathy watched as some of the other trainees pulled their hair back, or paused before putting on their gloves. They may all have applied for this job, but it seemed not all of them fully realized what it was going to entail. There was a certain jerkiness to their movements, like they were half thinking about stopping it and asking if the handlers were serious. A slight pause to glance at a pitchfork with mild disgust, or a slight twitch after an-all-too-deep breath.

She had not paused at all while preparing, and even adapted her outfit for the most likely job, which had turned out to be correct. Today, they would be learning the ropes of the Gentle Giants.

It only made sense to start there. The baby animals were not particularly hard to handle, and there were a wide variety of tasks that could be applied to other parts of the park. They also didn't need too much specialty equipment, or jeeps to move around.

Their small groups would be handling the morning shift for their orientation. This meant a lot of the other trainees were tired, not being used to waking up early. Even though the clock told her it was only a little after eight, the skylights made it seem like it was noon with how bright the sun was. The shaded building had a bit of a claustrophobic feel to it, with a low roof and the entire building being made of concrete on the inside. Even the cages were pretty simple, being mostly metal bar panels, though more rigidly enforced. The organized chaos of tools did not lend an open feel either.

The best part was the smaller nature of the morning shift. No one wanted to do it, which meant there were less people, and they were more reticent to be there. It would make the public side of her plan easier.

"Alright folks, we're going to flip you between jobs in order to get some training on all fronts. You lot are going to come with me and assist with watching the animals." Cathy glanced over at their instructor, Mr. Ryde. Given the way the others gave deference to him, he was likely the supervisor, or at least, the one to take charge. More importantly, she was not in the first group.

"That means the rest of you will be coming to the back to help us with running behind the scenes. Come with us." One of the other staff members was giving commands. A younger woman that Cathy recognized the face of, but not the name. She'd shown up in a few videos, often just in the background.

While the rest moved in a begrudging manner, Cathy felt her attention focused like a knife. This was her first time actually being present in the attraction, and she was behind the scenes. She was taking everything in, cataloguing anything she thought might be important.

There were instructional documents everywhere, probably for safety regulation. More directly enforcing security were the cameras, which looked over every inch of the backstage. Instructional posters lined the walls, dictating protocol and regulations, all dictated by law. Folders full of numbers and records lined surfaces, and overflowed from drawers.

There were a fair number of jobs to be done; from cleaning the stalls, to moving equipment. Almost all of it manual. She had to admit that she was not an expert at manual labour, but she was more than willing to throw her back into it. Grabbing a pitchfork, she maneuvered to one of the pens close to the entrance.

Once she got into the initial rhythm, she was able to devote more time to observing. One of the first things she saw was the fact that when they let the animals out, they went through an intermediate holding area, where they were checked over by the staff, who made some notes on a tablet. The tablet was then laid down on a table, presumably to be ready for the next batch.

She had worked her way into the stall nearest to the intermediate area, and was waiting for the next batch. If it was anywhere near regular, then it would happen soon. She just finished scraping a corner when they brought the next group through.

"What are you recording?" she asked, looking over the short fence.

One of the keepers glanced up, pausing a half second before responding to glance around, as if snapping out of a trance, blinking her eyes disorientedly. "Oh, we just do a quick inspection to make sure the animals are ready for display. Not overly dirty spots, or injuries. If we see one, it's recorded, and dealt with."

"Do you keep track of heights and weights?"

"Yeah, but that occurs at a different time, and as part of a specialized process in order to make sure the animals are making their growth curves. Kind of like a wellness check up. The genetics crew come around when that happens."

"Mind if I watch a couple?" she inquired, taking a half step to the side. She smiled to herself as she saw the handler glance at the stall she was working on, then peek at the others, mentally weighing the factors.

"Sure, why not," she agreed with a shrug. "Come over here. We'll rotate through you all, let you get a chance to see how it works."

Cathy nodded, setting the shovel aside from the moment before hopping the low fence. The handler scooted over so she could stand by their side as another one of the animals was brought through; a young Apatosaurus.

"First, we look to see which animal is being let through. Because our dinosaurs don't have a lot of soft tissue, we can't use tags for identification. Instead, we use colour spots." Cathy watched as the handler lifted the Apatosaurus' head, revealing an orange spot under its jaw. "Then you consult the chart in order to find the individual in the species section."

The handler titled her tablet so Cathy could see. It only took a few taps to locate the individual; just inputting the species and the colour. A chart appeared, giving a list of aspects to inspect, and the date of inspection. Some were obvious things, like injuries, or emaciation, but she was pleased to see there were a couple of things that were a bit more specialized, like inspecting the leg joints of the Apatosaurus.

"A lot of first time handlers start from the top and work their way down, but after a while, you learn to go from one end of the animal to the other, and just fill out whatever applies at the time."

Cathy nodded as the handler went step by step through the inspection. Part of her was focused on at least partially memorizing the procedure, but another part of her was taking in some of the information up to this point. It was fascinating to some extent, especially when the handler invited her to touch the animal.

Taking a deep breath, she kneeled down beside the small dinosaur. Despite its small stature, she knew just how large they could get. Even so, she'd never been this close to a dinosaur, let alone a young one. The footage she had of the young was scant, but here was one _living and breathing_. For just a moment, she could set aside everything and enjoy the moment.

The scales were almost slightly bumpy under her fingers, and surprisingly warm. She knew from her own observations that the dinosaurs were a strange mix of warm and cold blooded, but to feel it with her own hands was something else. She wanted to run her hands over the whole thing, and just memorize every inch, but she knew that there wasn't time. Reluctantly, she stood back up, feeling her heavier thoughts pressing back in.

Although she knew how involved the genetics crew was with the management of the park, she hadn't realized just how much of a...stranglehold it was. The handlers didn't even do the most important things, and were basically glorified showmen. Caretakers for a production line, which she supposed made sense considering the model of the park. Still, she couldn't approve of that, not in the least because it made her job harder.

She would have to find some way into the genetics circle in order to get some of her information, and more importantly, samples.

As Cathy watched, she idly pointed a couple of things out, and asked questions, trying to gauge just how specific the task was, while also sounding invested. Eventually though, the diversion came to an end, and she watched as the Apatosaurus waddled out into the corral, almost immediately getting swarmed by the children.

The less said on that, the better.

"What happens when they get bigger?" she asked.

"Eventually, they move to the main enclosure. We usually get some new babies around that time. In fact, we're getting some new ones soon. They're usually a bit more uppity before they settle into it."

"Well, I guess I should get back to work," she announced, moving to hop back over the fence.

"Alright. Send one of the others over for the next one."

Cathy flashed a half-hearted thumbs up over her shoulder, quickly glancing around to look at the other candidates. One of them, a woman, quickly glanced away, and Cathy smiled to herself. It was obvious she had been listening, and paying close attention.

Fixing her gaze on the woman, it was impossible for her to keep looking away. Cathy pointed to her, trying to look as authoritative as possible. "You're up next."

Cathy jerked her thumb over her shoulder before turning, giving the appearance of not being particularly interested. Starting to cultivate her reputation now would go a long way later. She needed to look like she knew what she was doing, and being able to integrate into systems like this was part of that. It was callous, but that was the point.

Even so, she observed the woman far more discreetly than the reverse had been. It was easy to see her enthusiasm, and Cathy paid special attention to the questions being asked. It wasn't too long before Cathy got a rough outline of the woman's personality.

At least borderline knowledgeable, as evidenced by some of the more specific terms she threw around. Perhaps a bit too attentive, if her questions about the animal's health were anything to go on. Not anything too concerning, just another vet type.

As the shift dragged on, she learned a lot about her potential rivals. Who worked hard, and who shirked, or at least, tried to. Who knew what they were talking about, and who was learning it as they went. Already, she was able to cross a few of them out of competition, and sort the others into those who she might be able to work with, and those she might clash with.

It struck her that the people in charge would likely be even more harsh when judging them.

"Alright folks, time to swap places!" Cathy glanced up, seeing the other half of the recruits stepping back in from the light. Talking and laughing amidst themselves, looking quite pleased with the experience. Pushing her irritation down, Cathy carefully returned her equipment back to where she had gotten it from, even grabbing a carelessly discarded pitchfork. By the time she was done, the others were already crowding around the handler. No doubt they were eager to leave the backstage, and the dirty work.

Despite their energy, their handler did an admirable job of centering their attention, and holding them all back. "We have some rules to go over before you can step out."

"First, don't harass the animals. If one brushes up against you, you can give it an encouraging tap to move along, but we don't want to rile them up. Secondly, your primary focus is on the guests. Make sure they are following rules and are safe at all times. Losing focus can lead to an accident. Do headcounts. And finally, make sure to clean up after you exit the building. After this, you will be dismissed from this area. I will remind you again at the end, but it bears mentioning."

Cathy was almost impressed by the serious tone of the handler, and the way he met their gazes, firmly impressing his instructions upon them. After a minute, he stepped to the side, hand on the gate. "Let's get out there then. Watch your feet."

Despite herself, Cathy found herself getting a little excited at the prospect of interacting with the animals. Even as the sun hit her, she could not help but smile a little. It was the noise that made her smile the most. The calls of the young dinosaurs, discordant. And _perfect_.

Dozens of tiny sounds, playing over each other, ranging from inquiry to alarm. Music to her ears.

It took a moment for the handler to regain their focus enough to explain the process. They would spread out around the pen, and keep watch. It was a simple enough job.

Cathy already knew where she wanted to go. The path guests used to interact from the outside curved along one side of the pen, but the other side faced the jungle. The building itself jutted slightly into the pen, blocking off one corner of the jungle side. A little corner to herself.

Taking her post, she had to admit the shade was an added benefit, and she wasn't the only one enjoying it. A couple of the young triceratops were enjoying the corner. Leaning against the fence, she scanned the pen, taking in the sight.

Despite all the hours, weeks, and months she had studied dinosaurs, it had been almost two decades since she had interacted with them physically, and she didn't really count the first time.

Looking at the dinosaurs, the thought couldn't help but change the way she perceived them. All these small children, some unaccompanied by their parents, around all these young dinosaurs. It didn't take a large animal to harm a child.

Triceratops, even with blunted horns, could batter even an adult to death.

Gallimimus had powerful legs, even if they did not have the teeth for it.

Even the Apatosaurus, who waddled almost comically, had a tail that they could learn to crack hard enough to break the sound barrier.

A small noise caught her attention, and she glanced down to see one of the young Triceratops had approached, appraising her. Instantly, she tuned in to the sounds it was making.

Inquiry. Hunger.

It thought she had food. Of course.

She paid it no mind. It would lose interest soon enough. Still, as it looked at her, she couldn't help but feel irrationally irritated. Something about it was bugging her. Sighing, she glanced back down, running her eyes down the animal's body.

No injuries on the face or frill, and the only thing she could see wrong was that all the horns were carefully blunted to prevent injury.

Leaning, she tried to look at its body, but couldn't see anything wrong. No scratches, or even just irritated patches. From what she tell, it was just fine. Her eyes narrowed as her irritation grew. The damn thing was practically begging now, just uttering the same damn hunger call, like some annoying little dog.

Then it hit her, and she could feel her stomach first drop, then rise in anger.

The call was _all wrong_. It was a hunger call all-right, but a half-hearted one at best. It was as if someone had taken the call, and reduced it to its simplest form. She knew that the calls of the young were simpler than the adults, but this was something else entirely. There were entire sub-harmonics missing.

Taking a breath, she composed herself, hiding the shock that had briefly flashed across her face. She supposed it could be explained. Growing up away from the herd could do that. It only made sense. But it still bothered her, and she couldn't help but feel a rising sense of anger.

Glancing around, she could see no one else was close to her. With a small smile, she turned back to the young Triceratops, taking a deep breath. Quietly, but firmly, she mimicked her best alarm call, causing the small animal to stumble back in surprise before seeming to recover its wits and waddle away. Cathy watched, bemused, as it left. Before long, it ran into the range of the children, and was distracted from its distress by the placation of the food they carried.

Looking out into the pen now, she took the time to watch some of the other handlers, not really looking for anything in particular. It was kind of like bird watching, in a way. After having to be amongst them for most of the morning, it was kind of nice to be able to step back, and ignore all pretenses in favour of just working. Sure, she would have preferred to be listening to the dinosaur calls, and actually doing study, but this was still a step up.

Only an hour or so more, and she would be free. In the meantime, she contemplated getting a closer look at the young Gallimimus. Purely for research purposes, of course.

* * *

The Innovation Center was a much more refreshing locale to her.

Ignoring the masses of people, she casually strolled towards the center, where the hologram projector was set up. At the moment, a large Apatosaurus was meandering in place, towering over the visitors. Seeing the panel was unattended, she stepped up, sliding her hand along the choices.

Finally, she settled on Dilophosaurus, smiling as she looked up. With bated breath, she pressed the button, and the pixels collapsed, forming rapidly into a much smaller creature. In a flash, the theropod appeared, its crest expanding as it hissed a challenge feet from her face.

A few of the guests behind her flinched away, but she actually found herself leaning in a little. Even now, she could see the mild inaccuracies with the design. Jurassic World had no Dilophosaurus on display. As far as she knew, they had tried to grow them once, but they had been discontinued for reasons never publicly disclosed. As much as she liked to think it had been some colossal fuck up on their part, she knew it was likely they had decided it wasn't popular enough to spend time and money trying to remove the negative traits, like the poison spit.

Pushing the thought from her mind, she took the moment to just appreciate as much of it as she could. With each of the synthesized steps, she could see the attempt to mimic the real thing, and it was pretty convincing, if she was being honest. Despite not having all the physical details right, the actual motor functions were pretty spot on.

With the hiss of the projection, it rearranged itself, and she glanced to see a small child playing with the controls. Pulled from her reverie, she took that as her signal to continue with her original intent. Stepping back, she followed the flow of the crowd, heading towards the back of the center. She almost made it to the back before she found herself forced to stop once more.

Amidst the crowd, she spotted one thing that made her pause more than any other sight; the John Hammond statue. Cast in metal, he stood tall and proud above the crowd, his amber-headed cane clutched in his hand. More than any other face associated with the park, she had seen him.

Technically, she had met him once, but she had been much younger. It was just after the attack, and her parents had sued him for the harm he had caused. She still remembered it, if just vaguely. He had seemed so genuinely _saddened_ by it, and settled with her family rather easily.

Retrospectively, it made sense. Despite the park going under, he was still quite wealthy and secure. Considering he had then pushed to have Sorna instated as a natural preserve, she had no doubt it was also a good case for his cause.

But on some level, she couldn't even hold it as callous business management. Cathy didn't trust many memories from her childhood, knowing how naive and young she was at the time, but she trusted that one. If anyone involved with Jurassic Park had wanted it to be something other than a corporate bounty, it was him.

Fondly, she gently ran her hand along the plaque, memorializing him. Granted, it was yet another grab at the legacy, but she couldn't help but be thankful for it. In a manner of speaking, he was the one responsible for her being here, even if they had only met once.

To some extent, she felt like she knew him. His memoirs were deeply personal, and made no illusions about his hopes and dreams for the park. She could even sympathize with him.

Her smile quirked slightly as another thought crossed her mind. He practically _made_ her. He had laid the path for the dinosaurs to be a reality, and now she was embracing it while everyone else built their market around it. His desire to study and understand the dinosaurs was something she knew better than anyone.

She would be continuing his work.

Pulling herself away from his statue was hard, but she managed it, only sparing a last glance back as she went down the hall, the bright orange of the main building fading away to the cool, clean blues of the gene labs. At least, the public side.

The path remained narrow enough to just fit more than two lanes of traffic, and she weaved towards the central hub, trying to ignore the crowds. They passed through, glancing in interest, or taking pictures, but what was going on here was far beyond their comprehension.

It was nothing short of magic for the average person. Bringing extinct animals back from rock. Each step was practically its own field of science, and InGen had refined it into a perfected one. Which was immensely helpful for her.

Standing in the hub, she watched the geneticists at work, observing clutches of eggs, or analyzing DNA strands. Some of it was doubtlessly for show, but a good portion was actual work.

Looking at the eggs, she edged close to the glass, trying to identify the species. The oblong, hard shells made her think it was likely some kind of theropod. Normally, clutch size would be a good indicator, but in such a controlled environment, that meant nothing. The slight yellowish tint was a little more indicative, along with the slight mottling on the surface. Likely Gallimimus.

It had been a while since their last generation of young Gallimimus, if she recalled correctly. The ones at the Gentle Giants were almost aged out, so they would need to replace them.

Her attention was distracted as she watched one of the doctors approach the open walls, tapping a combination into the pad. The edges of the door became more apparent as the wall popped slightly, and the automated motors slowly opened it wide, allowing her a clear view of the lab beyond.

Unlike the viewing lab, the real lab was quite dark, and even more densely packed than the display. Inside, she could see sample containers, and rows of machines. No doubt some high profile data was located on those computers.

But what she was interested in was the genetic samples. In that dark room, they did all the tampering with genetic material, forming whatever creature they desired, cutting out undesired traits, and splicing in replacement parts. Somewhere in there, they also had the pure samples, unchanged form their original form, and carefully cultivated from years of excavation.

Just the thought of it made her _excited_.

"Mosasaur show in ten minutes." And just like that, the intercom system snapped her out of her bliss. She briefly flashed a sharp glare at the speakers before the message clicked. There was going to be a show soon. One she had a special ticket to. And one that would get her close to a staff member.

There was no time to waste.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Cathy had seen the grandstands from more angles than she could count. The northern entrance, the southern entrance, even a brief few glimpses into the back door from some nosey visitors. She knew that the north lines tended to be a bit longer then the southern ones, and that the angle of the building meant that the southern entrance was more likely to be shaded in the morning than the evening.

Sadly, she had no control over those factors. Looking at the line, she could only frown. Sunhats and glasses were an almost universal feature, along with a few of the splash-coats. As much as she felt they looked stupid, she knew better than to doubt their effectiveness. There was hours of footage of people getting drenched by the Mosasaur.

Eat your heart out Shamu.

Nervously, she eyed the VIP entrance. For a price, guests could fast track their entrance into many rides, and get special events and such. Standard park policy. Glancing at her ticket, she wondered if it would get her through, or if she would have to wait in the normal line. It wouldn't hurt to check.

"Excuse me, where do I use this?" she opened, offering the ticket to the man. For a moment he quirked an eyebrow and he brought the ticket up for inspection. Suddenly, his eyes widened, and he straightened slightly, turning to the side as he spoke.

"I see you have a fast pass. Let me just fill this in, and you can go right through," the man assured her, digging out a pen. Quickly, he scrawled a few notes, likely to prevent her from using it again, before handing it back. "Feel free to sit anywhere."

Cathy was pleasantly surprised as she stepped through the gate, entering into the special lower section of the stands. Cordoned off from the rest, it was only accessible to VIP's, and she felt oddly out of place as she found a spot in the first row. Everyone around her looked kitted out for company guided fun, while she just looked like she had stumbled in.

In the meanwhile, she slipped the ticket into her wallet, trying to get comfortable on the stand as people moved in. Given how close the show was to starting, she wasn't surprised, but the stands filled up quickly, and she found herself tightly surrounded.

She tuned out the discussion and jostling around her as she heard the intercom crackle to life, and a familiar voice rose over the buzz of the audience. "Hello and welcome folks to our noon Mosasaur showing!"

Cathy snapped her eyes from the water, suddenly realizing she had been spacing, to see Sarah standing on the small jetty in the center of the crescent auditorium. Even though she was wearing the same uniform from their prior encounter, she seemed far more composed and professional in front of the crowd.

"I know you're all eager to see her getting fed, so while her food is prepared, I'd like to talk to you about what she eats. It is thought that Mosasaurs fed along the surface of the water, where it preyed on anything it could sink its teeth into." As she spoke, Sarah lifted a hand, and began enumerating as she continued. "This included turtles, large fish, and even smaller Mosasaurs."

Cathy was looking up even before the electric whirring began. She smiled slightly as the massive shark carcass was slowly lowered down the cable. In any other park, the shark would have been a main attraction. Here, it was just the sideshow.

"Let's see if she's still hungry after eating today. She's a little shy, so be nice and give her a hand when she comes out."

Briefly, Cathy wondered just how long it had taken her to get the whole speech down. It didn't really matter; in every recording she had seen, they gave variations of the same speech. Enough times, and they would inevitably get it down.

Cathy heard a few people begin to talk excitedly, and she quickly ascertained why. The Mosasaurus was approaching. Its long form slid through the water with a surprising grace, and she couldn't help but draw a breath in as it approached. It was so...massive.

She had seen the largest predators InGen had produced, and seen them next to buildings and other dinosaurs. She had even seen the Mosasaurus before, but never personally, and never this close. It was terrifying.

And immensely beautiful.

The breach itself seemed to happen in an instant, with the Mosasaur quickly eclipsed most of her view so she had to look almost straight up to see its elongated maw. The two halves of its mouth were opened wide, and for an instant, she felt the urge to run, lest it fall on them.

As the teeth clashed together with a resounding _clack_, it began to fall; at first slowly, like a tower losing balance, but by the time its head reached the water, it was diving. Even as she saw the wave of water rising up, she couldn't draw her eyes away.

Fortunately, sitting near the front meant that the wave arced over her for the most part, though she still jolted slightly from the rain of surprisingly warm water. She barely had time to recover when the stands jolted, and the hydraulics began lowering them.

As they sunk, the concrete top gave way to heavy glass, bathing them in increasingly intense blue light. By the time they reached the bottom, it had gotten surprisingly dark, with only the ripples through the water creating wavering patterns of light.

But most impressively, she could see the entirety of the Mosasaurus in front of her. It was _massive_, easily several rows of seats long. Even the shark it was eating was barely more than a couple of bites for it. And above the crowd, she could hear it.

The Mosasaurus was a deep sound, unlike anything else she had heard. Sometimes, on the cameras, she could pick up the distant echoes of the dinosaurs, but none of them were as full or deep as the Mosasaurus. Beyond any doubt, she knew there was more that she couldn't hear, probably buried deep in the infrasonics. But she could feel them, rumbling through the water and in through her body.

It was almost like a subtle connection. The seats vibrated from the applauding crowd, but she could feel that deeper tone, unwavering in its intensity. Small shifts up and down, punctuated with something else now and again. Without her equipment, she would be unable to identify the whole of it, but it still blew her away.

As the platform rose, she kept her eyes on the Mosasaurus for every second she could, until finally the concrete barred her view. The glare of the sun off the water finally forced her to look away and suddenly all her senses came back to her.

Blinking in the light, it dawned upon her how _deep_ she had allowed herself to be drawn in. Even now, she could feel the light vibrations above the hordes of feet leaving the stands. With each person off, it reached her more and more acutely.

"You alright there? Need a change of clothes?"

Cathy snapped into attention, trying to hide her surprise as Sarah laughed. "Sorry, should have told you to wear a poncho."

"I doubt it would have helped," Cathy mused aloud, watching the water run down under the seats, before pooling near the rim and disappearing into the cracks, doubtless to be pumped back into the lagoon.

"You're not wrong," Sarah agreed, removing her hairband. Despite the shelter of the jetty, she was equally soaked. "Come on, I gotta dry off anyway, and we keep spare clothing for just this occasion."

* * *

At the very minimum, Cathy could grant that at least their clothing was comfortable. No expense spared indeed.

"So, what did you think of the show?" Sarah asked, drying her hair with a towel vigorously.

"It was...impressive," Cathy admitted. It had been rather short, and a one-trick pony, but the sheer size and impressiveness of the Mosasaurus' size easily countered that. "It's one thing to see it on the surface, another to see it below."

"It really is something else," Sarah agreed.

"So, how much did you have to train to work with it?"

"Well, it's not exactly a trained animal. We can coax it into appearing by promising it food, but it's not a dolphin. We don't make it do tricks. I doubt we'd have a hoop big enough, if it could even breach that high."

"How powerful are the fins?"

"Well, our mosasaurus has carangiform movement, so it glides pretty smoothly, but doesn't exactly hit top speeds like a cetacean. However, the tail is at a pretty heavy angle, so the crescent allows for some pretty powerful strokes."

"So it's like Platecarpus?"

"I would say so."

"And the pelvic fins?"

"Well...that one's a bit of a mystery," Sarah admitted, turning to face Cathy as she raised her hands to her chest height. "In the lagoon, the Mosasaurus uses its pectoral fins to do a lot of the steering and its caudal fin to propel itself."

Sarah lowered her hands to her hips as she continued. "But the pelvic fins of most fish are used to allow them to move up and down through the water. Because the lagoon is not too deep, we don't really see it use them often, and recording it is hard enough."

With a chuckle, she lowered her hands, leaning back slightly. "We can't just put a leash on it either. So our knowledge of its movements is less than perfect. You seem quite interested in it."

"I suppose you could say I am interested in all ancient reptiles," Cathy offered, half-deflecting the point. "I mean, I'm here after all."

"Fair point," Sarah agreed with a laugh. "Still, it's nice to talk shop with someone. You have no idea how many times I get asked the same basic questions. Nice change of pace."

"I imagine it can get bland. Let's see...do you know anything about its metabolism?"

"Normally, people just ask how much they eat. Well, we know it's warm-blooded, so it consumes a bit more than a reptile normally might. One of those sharks is enough to feed it for a day."

"So it's confirmed to be warm-blooded?"

"Well…" Sarah turned away for a moment, looking torn.

"Let me guess; you're not actually sure?"

"Something like that. Sorry I can't say more," Sarah apologized. "Just company policy."

"I get it," Cathy assuaged, shuffling the information away for later. She knew better than to press. "Thanks for the pass."

"Ah, no problem. We have more of them than we know what to do with," she waved off. "Just glad that someone is interested in the topic. How'd the first day go?"

"Not bad. We worked on learning the ropes over at the Gentle Giants."

"That's where we all start. Gotta say, don't miss that at all. So, which area are you thinking of going into?"

"Not sure. I'd prefer to work directly with the animals though," she answered rotely. It wasn't incorrect, just...not the full truth.

"I don't think I ever asked if you were one of the shadows or the applicants."

"The what?" Cathy was legitimately confused. She had never heard those terms used in any documents she had read. If they were important-

"The trainees here are roughly divided into two categories when they arrive. Shadows and applicants. Of course, those aren't the official terms, but everyone uses it. Shadows are people whose transcripts aren't as exemplary, or are only here for a temporary shift, like during the peak season. They basically get put in a job for a while, then passed along with a standard recommendation. Applicants are the serious ones. In order to get into that group, you don't just do well in classes, you have to have done something to catch their attention."

"I see…" Cathy nodded slowly, letting the implication sit for a minute. She wasn't necessarily surprised, but this had caught her off-guard to say the least. She had done well in her classes, and she had thought her project fairly unique, but then again, she had no clue what others had done before her.

"Any idea which you are in?" Sarah asked, towelling off her feet.

"I'd like to think I'm in the applicants group."

"I thought so. You didn't strike me as one of the shadows," Sarah laughed. "In any case, we'll have to talk again sometime. You've probably got afternoon stuff to do. See you around?"

"Sure. I look forward to talking some more."

* * *

Despite her tiredness, Cathy decided she wasn't going to waste any time, and so she dragged herself down to the seaside. It was a bit of a walk, but at least it was away from the crowds. For a while anyway.

She smiled to herself as she watched a crowd depart the monorail, only to be replaced by a smaller trickle of passengers headed outwards. It seemed most people were headed back to the main body of the park now. It was getting to be around dinner time, so she wasn't surprised.

The ride itself was quiet, but she was only heading one station down, so she wouldn't get to enjoy the landscape just yet. Besides, the actual area north of the resort wasn't actually as large as most folks thought it was. The hills created the impression of distinct areas, which they carefully encouraged with patches of trees to try and further break apart the area. The diversions of the tracks helped, as it made the whole loop seem more complicated than it was in reality.

There wasn't much time to ruminate on it before the monorail began to slow down, and she glanced out the window to see the station. Not far from the simple platform was another building, settled at the base of a small mountain. The gondola lift.

That was a ride she actually approved of, to the extent she could. It was quite calm and removed, running up the slopes of the mountain to allow passengers to view the dinosaurs from above. The top of the mountain had a small observation station, capable of scoping out the area around it. About as unintrusive as it could get.

Stepping off the platform, she tore her eyes away from it, looking instead to the west, where a broad path headed down the slopes. Even from here, she could see the ocean over the tops of the trees, and could smell the salt. She realized with a cringe she would likely have to take an intensive shower after the salt spray did its number.

Still, she allowed herself to take a breath of the air as she headed down, staying to the edge of the path to allow the families heading up or down their share. She wasn't in a hurry.

When the path ducked briefly into the forest, she noted they had added a small switchback staircase to accommodate the sheer in the terrain. Still, looking at the hill, she couldn't help but feel it was a little overkill.

The thought disappeared from her mind as the forest cleared once more, and she stepped out onto the sand. The beaches here were vastly different than at home; the sand here was bright, and shifted, rather than a dull, mud like material.

For a moment, she allowed herself to drink in the sight, listening to the roar of the waves, and the bright sun bearing down. Even with her own preferences, she had to admit it was beautiful, and she smiled as the sun licked at her skin, filling her with energy. The light sound of sand under her shoes was even pleasant.

Sighing, she tucked away the thought, turning instead to the north, following the beach side. Families had spaced themselves along the beach, forming an almost shanty town-esque look with all the umbrellas and towels. Even so, there was an order to it, with more of the umbrellas being further back; a retreat from the shoreline.

Weaving her way through, she moved down the gradient to where the activities thinned out. Stretches of open beach were more common, and rocks began to poke out of the dunes, signifying the approaching end of the beach.

The spray of the ocean reached a little closer here as it slammed against the rocks, but Cathy paid it no mind as she followed the curving cliffs. It wasn't long before she was out of sight of the beach-goers, though she could still hear them. She doubted it worked much the other way though.

Turning towards the cliffs, she was finally able to search without sand spraying in her eyes. The sheer face seemed almost uniform, but somewhere, the natives had navigated their way up. From what she could guess from the maps, they were closer to the far side of the cliffs, and she followed the wall, tracing it with her hand.

A few times, she found a promising start, but a quick look up confirmed they lead nowhere. After a few false starts, she found one spot close to where the map had indicated. Craning her head back, she could see a few spots up above where rocks formed natural holds. It wouldn't necessarily be a piece of cake, but she wouldn't need picks and axes to get up it. Even if she fell, it would be some bruising at worst. Maybe a broken leg if she really flubbed the landing.

Glancing around, she memorized the location before turning to head back towards the beach. With a small smile, she figured she might as well take in the air while she was here. The next days were going to be busy.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Cathy woke up with a distinct sense of dread hanging over her. It wasn't an ephemeral, unknowing feeling either. She knew _exactly_ why she wasn't looking forward to today.

Today, they were being shuttled off to the next part of the tour; the genetics lab.

Headed by none other than Dr. Henry Wu.

She had done extensive research on the man, read his work even. He was nothing if not meticulous. Even his book, which normally would have had numerous omissions of ease, made reference to notes that were available from the scholastic community. Those notes in turn were carefully organized and with clear documentation and line of thought.

Dr. Wu didn't let a single thing slip him by, and so she doubted that had changed in the almost two decades since the first park.

Glancing at her shelves, she caught sight of the blue spined book, his name scrawled in golden inset on the side. The man was a veritable genetic genius, second only to his precursor, Norman Atherton. His skills had been the ones needed to make the jump over to the first iteration of the park. Though the original products were...slapdash, it wasn't even his fault, as Jurassic World proved.

Given the nigh unlimited freedom and budget of the new park, he had made the creation of dinosaurs almost rote.

There was plenty of reason to be nervous. Wu had been there when the park had gone under, and was responsible for the preservation of many of the theories and practices that had survived until Jurassic World pursued them. Here, in her bedroom, she possessed almost everything else that had made it out of the park.

The two of them knew more about the old park and the dinosaurs than anyone else on the planet. If there was any one person who would remember her or see through her, it was him.

* * *

Entering into the blue light of the hall made her blood freeze, but not from the AC. She had staked out the main hall, once again sliding in on the heels of one of the waves, ensuring she wouldn't get solo'ed out for being early or late.

Wu wasn't here right now, but it would only be a matter of time.

In the meanwhile, Cathy watched the opening shifts. A few attendees moved through the lab, checking various interfaces and dials, adjusting a couple of things, or leaving notes. Some of the senior members were floating between the incubators, inspecting the eggs, clipboards rested in the crook of their arms. A small, proud smile would flit across their lips and some of them even leaned in, half-crooning to the eggs.

Sickening.

"Glad to see you all showed up in time."

The honeyed voice immediately caught Cathy's attention, and she barely managed the nigh impossible feat of keeping her face neutral.

Dr. Wu has stepped out of the lab, looking ever the part. His long sleeved shirt reached his mid-forearm, giving him the eccentric artist look. Perfectly combed and gelled hair faded into an immaculately maintained face, free of blemishes or facial hair. Despite his casual looking outfit, his watch was undeniably expensive, giving the charade away. He held his hands plaited in front of him, evoking an almost matronly figure as he stepped from the nursery.

The smile he cast over them somehow managed to crinkle around his eyes, but didn't reach in them. They were coldly inspecting them, and she could see it in his jaw. Despite the smile, it was locked tight; forced.

"Now, before we begin, I must remind you that there are rules to the tour, even for prospective applicants. Because our nursery is top of the line, we try and take the best care of it. Try to avoid touching anything or leaving anything anywhere unless told otherwise. Do not bother the working staff unless they have offered themselves for questions. Understood?" Once everyone nodded, he clapped his hands in apparent joy. "Excellent! Follow after me."

Wu waved them after him, like a teacher leading a bunch of school children. They filtered through the door, and Cathy shadowed in between two people, focusing her gaze away from Wu, who was holding the door open.

"This is our nursery, the top of the line anywhere worldwide," he began, gesturing grandly. "Every component is custom designed and ahead of competitors in the field. And all of it designed according to precise research. Even the intensity of the light is measured."

Wu slid past the crowd, his passive command allowing him to move unchallenged. Once more, they followed after him as he lead them towards another area of the lab.

"Are the parts all produced in-house?" one of them asked.

"Many parts are produced by Masrani owned companies, so in a manner of speaking, yes. This also ensures we can share our research with them in order to improve the technology. Speaking of, here we have the genetics analysis lab," Wu introduced, sweeping his hand towards the room.

There were rows of tables, each covered in microscopes, centrifuges, computers, and other technology. All technology she had familiarized herself with, but it was still impressive to see this many of them in one place. Very few companies around the world had access to anything nearing one of the devices, let alone multiple of them and several copies.

"Here, we take samples obtained from around the world and run them through advanced analyzers in order to preserve as much of the genetic material as possible. In previous decades, we would have destroyed much of the DNA in the retrieval process, but now we can recover record amounts, not to mention detect tracers in the rock in order to get more information about the lost portions."

"So if we work in here, what does our job look like?" spoke another member, and this time, Cathy recognized the person. Maria, the up and comer.

Wu smiled, seeming to recognize her as well. "Well, anyone working in this lab spends time drilling out the materials from the fossilized fragments, and then processing it through the machines. From there, they use advanced imaging software to get complete images of the sequence and can see the gaps. We then use multiple copies of the same species in order to fill in the gaps."

He paused a moment before narrowing his eyes slightly, his movements becoming more measured. "Garcia, right? I read your paper on genetic synthesis. I imagine you are used to using high-throughput microscopes, yes?"

Maria nodded, and Wu smiled like a spider. "Imagine those, but several times more powerful. We're able to investigate the ends of the genetic strands to determine breakages."

At this point, Wu was just showing off, but Cathy had to admit, it was pretty impressive. Any genetics institute or company in the world would have killed to get tech like this. Too bad she wouldn't be working with anything near as nice when it was her turn. Still, they'd done it with less in the first place.

"Once the genetic material is retrieved, we can then begin working on the next stages of the process. I won't bore you with all of the specifics, but once the DNA is rendered into a usable form, it is passed on to the factory floor."

Wu continued narrating as they walked down a pristine hall. "Originally when Jurassic Park opened, we used artificial eggs patterned after ostrich eggs. At first, Jurassic World did the same thing. However, once the first generation of dinosaurs was born, we were able to take the egg cells they would normally lay and analyze them."

The air got noticeably colder as they stepped into the lab. It only made sense. Being in such proximity to the genetic samples, they would have to be kept reasonably chilled, even if the eggs needed to be warmed later.

The factory itself was fashioned almost like the showroom, with several table-like stands cupping nests. However, the tops were clear and sterile, with only the cold table beneath the eggs. Benches along the walls were lined with computers and spreadsheets, marking progress points.

A few of the technicians glanced at them, but most were busy. A couple were inspecting one of the robotic arms, while another was injecting something into one of the eggs. Actually, Cathy amended, it looked more like they were taking something out.

"Once we got the egg samples we needed, we were able to recreate the eggs on our own, adjusting them to match the dinosaur itself. It results in higher birth rates due to facilitating the growth of the fetus."

Cathy quirked an eyebrow at that. She hadn't actually thought about that concept. It only made sense; using better eggs would yield better results. She looked at one of the tables with newfound appreciation. Despite the barcode on the egg, it was still a close analogue to its original form.

Perhaps she would have to adapt the strategy. Her fingers twitched, and she could feel a pull towards the eggs. The need to inspect them. Her own mind, and Wu's words told her to stop, for now.

Considering this was a Jurassic World lab, it likely wasn't too confidential, or at least, not to park employees. Reading protocol wouldn't be too much of an ask. She pushed the thought from her mind for the moment; she would need to plan more before doing that. She wasn't going to do anything flying by the seat of her pants.

"How did you determine the components of the eggs?" Another random person.

"While I'm afraid I can't go into the details, a large amount of the work is done by the egg cell itself. Much like a human embryo, the egg has a lot of information encoded into it."

In retrospect, it made sense. The stem cell was able to differentiate into a multitude of forms, all simultaneously encoded within. If the egg cells were similar, you would only need a few of them before the egg was able to form. Feeding it the material in order to grow and develop a calcified shell would be hard, but not impossible.

She noted it for later.

"In order to increase the rate of growth, as well as to reduce costs, we insert the embryonic cells into a ready egg, which is then shipped to the room we started in," Wu elaborated, moving them along the loop. Soon, they had returned to the starting room. "Once here, the eggs are watched and tracked along growth curves we have fashioned, both by manufacturing and study."

Wu checked his watch. "Well, it seems we still have a little bit of time. Why don't you take a look around? I'd be more than happy to introduce you to a few of the technicians here."

* * *

To his credit, Wu kept up a decent pace, stopping to make commentary or answer questions now and again, but still moving along. It was almost enough to make her miss some other details.

Like all the doors they passed, and the heavy locks on them. Or how beyond the ones she did catch a glimpse of, the lab was almost an entirely different world of darker rooms and racks of computers and terminals.

Things like the other lab technicians seeming to move around their group, aside from a couple of senior members who Wu had probably planted in order to talk about their jurisdiction.

And of course, the most obvious sign; the different tags.

All the low-level, basic level techs were wearing Jurassic World badges. But anyone of an appreciable level was wearing a InGen badge. The tags looked similar enough, but it was an important difference. It marked who was in the circle, and who was not.

Wu himself wore one on his shirt, carefully clipped to a pocket on his chest to avoid wrinkling the shirt. His was the only one with _Chief Geneticist_ written on it. Even when they swung by his office, she could see the heavy set door tucked into the back wall, accompanied by a hefty looking biometric lock.

Just like the first park, there was a showroom, and then the actual factory floor. This time, the factory just happened to be in the walls, rather than on another island. And subject to less oversight, if Sarah was any indicator.

She wasn't the only one who noticed. "What's in the other labs?"

"Those are specialized research. Unfortunately, in order to preserve company secrets, we can't show those to you," Wu excused with a confident smile and a practiced line. Before it could be processed, he continued. "However, I can tell you about some exciting upcoming attractions. Recently, we acquired the rights to a South American fossil bed. We are going to begin pushing the limits of the age of dinosaurs we have brought back."

The end of the tour was almost a quiet affair, and Wu gave some canned speech about the future strides in genetics and development. He also elucidated the requirements for working in the lab in no short terms.

As Wu dismissed them, he swept his eyes over the crowd, and for a moment, her breath hitched, but he swept over her, just another person in the crowd. It was almost anti-climactic, but she wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

She wasted no time in hurrying away from the labs, though not at such a pace that she would stand out. Even though she knew the time, she glanced at her phone. It would be time for food soon enough, and then she could get some more work done.

The others would be headed to the restaurants now as well, which was a problem. She didn't want to get dragged into that, but there were a place where she could actually use her card.

Fortunately, she suspected they would be headed to Margaritaville. Cathy wasn't even tempted in the slightest. The biggest draw would be the alcohol, and she couldn't even drink it. She briefly contemplated her options before deciding it wasn't worth the time investment. She just needed to eat something and get moving.

* * *

Cathy sat on one of the benches, staring out of the reinforced glass as she ate. It had been relatively easy to get a meal to go, and one to her needs, but the idea to come to the Trex Kingdom to eat had been a split second one.

The Trex brought a special kind of attention. Her feeding was an especially popular attraction, and one that brought people in waves, but the Rex didn't have the same regular draw. She was big, impressive, and boring.

Shovelling another bite of noodles and soy, Cathy could admit she would understand why, had she not known better. Many of the dinosaurs were an odd hybrid of warm and cold blooded. Warm blooded enough to regulate some of their body heat, cold blooded enough to mean they didn't have to eat as much. So the Trex spent most of its time wandering. Most expected it to be an active, alert hunter, constantly making aggressive motions, but they clearly misunderstood.

This was more like watching a crocodile than a wild dog. After eating, the Rex would likely let the meal digest rather than simply continue hunting. It wouldn't turn its nose up at carcasses, or potential meals though. And it certainly didn't waste energy on things as frivolous as destruction.

The image of Godzilla popped into her head, and she couldn't help but chuckle. No, the Rex wasn't some kind of mindless destroyer. Looking out into the trees, she could see the signs of its inhabitation. Areas of bark completely rubbed off, scattered bones, and the obvious footprints.

A few people flitted through now and again, peering through the glass to try and spot the Rex. Boredom would drive them move along, hoping the next window revealed the animal. If she had to guess, the Rex had likely memorized the locations of the glass and generally avoided them. Enough flash photography would do that to anyone.

A deep thump told her that it was moving, and she let the feeling move through her. Just like with the Mosasaurus, there was an undercurrent of something deeper, an infrasonic communication. Briefly, she wondered if maybe it was responding to the carnivores up north. Studies with elephants had shown that low frequency sounds could travel for several square kilometers and still be detected.

She paused in taking another bite, a thought striking her. She had been unable to measure the infrasonics of the animals on Sorna. It wouldn't hurt to try and collect some data while she was here. There would have to be some scrubbing, but she had time.

Taking her phone out with one hand, she made a note to try and get some infrasonic data when the opportunity came by. She would have to see about getting some of the materials needed to the island, but it wouldn't be too hard. Besides, audio equipment was just a personal thing. She could easily fake an interest in sound design.

Putting the phone away, she closed her eyes, just enjoying the feeling of the Rex's not to distant presence. Each thudding footfall jolted her slightly, and the ambient rumble was felt, but not heard. More like the sensation of skin crawling than anything else.

Letting the sound move through her body, she thought about the frequencies, knowing full well she wouldn't be able to pinpoint them until she got some equipment. Even so, part of her was curious what vocalizations in human range would be the most analogous to it.

Eventually, the Rex drifted away, and she lapsed back into reality. The moment over, she finished her meal hurriedly, not wanting to waste any more time. She still had to throw in some extra shifts at the Gentle Giants if she wanted to ensure her role here.

And so she tossed the trash from her meal away, growling notes under her breath, tuning out the crowd as she headed for another shift.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Gingerly, Cathy lifted the frond of the cycad, inspecting the underside. Cocking her head, she followed the length back to the base before glancing at the book in her other hand. _A Treatise on Paleobotanical Specimens by Dr. Sattler_. It had been a borderline impulse purchase back when she had obtained it, but she figured she might as well get some mileage out of it.

Careful to avoid slicing her hand, she let the frond down, standing up to look down at the plant. Definitely a small _cyatheales_, but not the _veriformans_ found on Sorna. Reassuring, and yet, infuriating.

Every time she looked for some sign of obvious slip ups or just pure lack of regard, she came up wanting. The first park had been stupid enough to introduce a prehistoric, poisonous plant into general public areas, but Jurassic World had better oversight than that.

Then again, with someone as meticulous as Dr. Wu, she wasn't entirely surprised. Despite his focus as a geneticist, he had some skill with botany, as his first genetic experiment had proven.

The entire facade of the park was carefully maintained and covered with just the right assortment of plants. Closer to the metaphorical heart of the park, modern plants took over, with a couple of palm trees overlooking the squares. But the entire divide from the park to the "wilderness" was framed with a seemingly impenetrable wall of older plants.

Pulling off a sticky note, she marked the page for later before tucking the book into her backpack. She couldn't really afford to waste too much time. Luckily, it was still too early for bulks of people.

It was especially noticeable as she stepped into the transit centre. The place was almost eerily silent; no thrumming crowds, no whizzing drones, nothing. Fortunately, the rails operated fairly early in the morning, so she'd been able to pass the small waiting period with her observations.

Checking her watch, she mused about what the others must be doing. So far, they'd been pretty set in routines, with a few getting up around now to have breakfast. They'd made a sort of unofficial group around it. The ones she found more interesting were the ones staying up later. They wouldn't last long, seeing how they structured their times.

Cathy herself had a shift later in the day, even though it was technically her off day. She didn't really need to socialize or anything like that, so it was worth getting the overtime, and more importantly, the good graces.

Finally, the destination board came up, and she approached the monorail, smiling as the doors slid open. Not bothering to sit, she grabbed a hold of one of the poles in preparation. After a minute or two, the monorail lurched forward, and began rushing off towards the coastline. Nice thing about having beachsides is that there was always transport to them.

Admittedly, she didn't like the idea of a camera bearing down on her from somewhere in the train, but ultimately, she doubted anyone would care much. They'd see her headed for the beach, and any assumptions they made about what she wanted to do there would only help her. She'd even bothered to bring her sunglasses, just to sell the part a bit more.

It didn't take long for the monorail to get to its destination, and without incoming crowds, she was able to exit quickly. The platform was freshly cleaned, but further ahead, she could still see the marks of hundreds of guests treading up and down the path routinely. Stepping down onto the grass, she breathed in a lungful of the salty air. Part of her hoped that Sorna shared the smell; it was somewhat pleasant.

Still, she would know soon enough.

Shouldering her pack, she headed down towards the beach, retracing her steps from the other day. Without as many people around, it was much faster to work her way to the lonely shore. Setting her pack down in the sand, she pulled her phone out, shutting it off.

On the off-chance they could track it, she had to go dark.

Still, she was more than prepared. Tapping her watch, she set a timer. She could afford to spend approximately an hour heading out, and then she'd have to head back. Hour in, hour out, with a little bit of time between to do other things.

Putting away her phone, she traded it for her compass. Without her map on hand, it would be a little less precise, but she knew it well enough to get the idea of where she was. Tucking it into her front pocket, she approached the wall, figuring the best way up.

Grabbing hold of a couple of thin ledges, she tested their strength, surprised to still find them in excellent condition. Considering how long ago the tribals had been on this island, and how much renovation Jurassic World liked to do, she'd expected to find them worn away. Still, the better for her.

Pushing off of the sand, she was able to find a foothold quite easily, and focused her silent attention to working her way up the wall. It was a bit harder than she might have liked, but considering the natives had used it fairly regularly, it made sense it wasn't the most grueling thing in the world.

Once her hands felt the grass growing on the edge, she was able to leverage herself over, heaving a sigh of relief. The first time up was the hardest, and from now on she could just perfect the path until she had it down pat.

Pausing only to dust off some of the grass sticking to her pants, she looked out into the jungle, an anticipation swelling in her chest. This was it. Any further, and she would be committing espionage _on_ the island.

The jungle swallowed her up quickly, but she had anticipated that. Still, despite all she had read, it wasn't quite enough to prepare her for the feel of it. Even keeping her vision directly ahead, she found herself slightly weaving around and through the undergrowth.

But the thing that caught her attention first was just how untamed it was. The ground was a soft, slightly wet mix of materials, and the fronds of plants brushed by her as she intruded upon their homes. Nothing like this existed in Jurassic World, or even at home. And it was _exciting_.

The smell of the ocean barely managed to sneak in through the plant growth, being choked out by the smell of rain and greenery. Above her, a light ruffle of the breeze told her she was walking into the wind, though she could barely feel it through the wall of plants.

As she walked, she could hear nature take over, with birds beginning to become the dominant sounds. An undertone of insectile buzzing crept around the brush, making her glad she was wearing longer clothing, despite the heat.

It was actually rather odd; despite the overhead heat, the shade under the trees was far cooler than she expected. The humid air, which normally contributed to the ugly warmth of the park, instead felt a little chilled even, and she could tell her clothes would be a bit wet afterwards. Her beach alibi covered that, though.

What it wouldn't cover was the dirt. Kneeling, she quickly undid her shoes before removing a solid metal box from her backpack. Opening the box, she removed her hiking boots, carefully selected to be as generic a brand as possible while still being effective. If anyone ever found her tracks, odds are that dozens of other people would have her type.

After swapping her shoes, she put them into the box, before tucking it into the underbrush. It wasn't far from the shore, so it wouldn't be hard to find since she knew where it was. But more importantly, once she returned, she could change back into her shoes, and avoid having to hide her boots somewhere in her room.

It was well beyond reasonably suspicious, but she didn't care. She wasn't going to let anything compromise her. Smiling, she admired her gloves before turning to the path ahead. Now that no one would be able to link her to her path, it was time to actually take it.

* * *

The first thing she ran across was an old maintenance road. She stopped carefully in the brush, looking out and listening for potential passers-by. When only the passive noise of the forest greeted her, she carefully stepped forward into the open, where she could see better.

Standing at a corner, she could see the path to her right curved back towards the park, while the one to her left headed north, towards the perimeter. Mentally adjusting her map, she faded back into the brush on the roadside, moving parallel to it. If memory served, there was an old worker station ahead, back from phase one of the park's development.

The concrete walls of the derelict came into view, and Cathy quietly approached, despite knowing that the old roads were barely ever used. Above the door frame, she could see the slightly faded square of where a security camera had been mounted, the empty screw holes having gathered moss and dirt in the years since its usage.

The door itself had come off one of its hinges, hanging in the doorway lamely. Inside, she could see that it had begun to be overrun by the surrounding nature. A fine layer of dirt covered the floor, and plants grew over the threshold. Stepping inside, she could feel the difference as the cool air and shade pervaded the air.

It occurred to her that many of the buildings on Sorna would be like this, or worse, overrun by the jungle and the animals of the island. It was an odd thought; being here felt like stepping into the future, and yet her plans were still so far from fruition. Taking a deep breath, she relished the feel, holding onto it for a moment.

Dimly, she could detect the faint trace of reptile, and she had a feeling she knew which kind. Stepping in carefully, she listened for movement, but didn't expect to hear anything. The scent was stronger closer to the old lockers on the wall, and she could see the bottoms had been bent open, both by encroaching plantlife, and by inquisitive wildlife.

Pulling out a flashlight from her backpack, she aimed it at one of the holes, peering inside from a distance. She knew better than to poke her hand or face into one, and she could easily see the nest inside from here. Or the remains of it. Aside from a couple of flecks of egg shells and the general shape, it had been long abandoned, but the stale air kept the smell.

The shells were hardly enough to identify the species, but she guessed it was the Compies. The only dinosaur that roamed free on Nublar, though they tended to hover near the edges of the park at the closest. Probably living off left over scraps and trash, given the size of the park.

She smiled at the thought of a pack of Compies climbing over a trash can like coyotes. Fighting over a popcorn box, or ripping apart a t-shirt. Actually, now that she thought about, she would be willing to bet that she could even lure them in with food. A good chance to observe them up close.

She felt two ways about the idea. On the one hand, it was a chance to observe the dinosaurs up close, or at least, closer, but at the same time, part of her ran cold at the thought of being that close to live, _wild_ Compies. After all, they were the ones who attacked her when she was young.

Just the thought was enough to make her scars ache. She glanced at her watch. She still had time. Taking a moment, she swept her flashlight around the room, catching spots crumbling concrete. Dimly, she wondered if any of the old buildings still had any of their equipment in them, since it seemed like this one had been cleaned pretty thoroughly. She doubted it, but then again, it might be worth checking as she explored more.

She paused as something caught her eye, hidden by the overgrowth. A small design on the wall, or something. Coming closer, she realized it was a carving, likely made with a pocket knife or something similar. _Michael and Sarah were here_. Cathy had to both shake her head in disappointment at the juvenile nature of it, and applaud that they'd somehow found a way past the security to make it out here. Part of her wondered how they'd slipped security, but odds were they were picked up by security at some point or another. Probably not a reliable method, but something to consider. There were always people trying to break into the backstage at parks like this. It was no surprise that even with all the security Jurassic World had, a few would slip through.

Clicking her flashlight off, she decided she'd wasted enough time here. She needed to get moving if she wanted to make it to the fence line.

* * *

Even from a distance, and shrouded in foliage, the fenceline was impressive. Every thirty yards or so, a pylon of solid steel shot up from the concrete it was submerged in, culminating in a small light signifying the fence was live. Between every pair, the lower half of the actual fence was reinforced metal, capable of withstanding an assault by an enraged dinosaur, while the upper layer was an electric mesh in case something smaller tried to climb over.

Expensive, impressive, and most importantly, effective.

On her own, there was no way that Cathy was getting through the fence. Even if it wasn't electrified, the lower bars were too close to squeeze through and she had nothing that could bend them. And the top went well above the treeline, not to mention that she'd have no way to get back.

A further complication was the cameras. The entire fence line was monitored in order to keep tabs on the dinosaurs, and that included regular thermal cameras. The density of the foliage protected her from both varieties so long as she kept her distance, meaning she could observe the fence in relative peace.

Glancing at her watch, she saw she still had a bit of time to do just that, so she knelt down, removing her backpack. Withdrawing her field notebook, she flipped to a new page and began sketching the fence. She already had the design from the blueprints, but checking it personally would confirm the details.

Once the rough sketch was done, she dug around in her backpack for her other tools. Feeling smooth plastic, she smiled as she withdrew her laser distance measurer. Even if she couldn't approach the fenceline, she could get accurate measurements of the segments.

According to her rough calculations, the dividing fence line was approximately 221 km long, resulting in approximately 8,000 fence pieces. There was no way that she could measure them all in a reasonable time, but she could take some averages. But in order to do that, she'd have to be accurate. Setting aside the laser targeter, she withdrew a set of tools, laying them down carefully. A digital level, a small tripod, a protractor, and a compass.

Setting up the tripod, she placed the compass on the small platform in the middle, taking a moment to adjust it to line up with the needle. Then, taking the level, she made small adjustments to the legs until she'd managed to make it flat in both directions. Then finally, she clipped the laser targeter into the top, taking care to note where she'd attached it.

With a satisfied smile, she leaned in close, careful not to bump the set up. Using the handles on the tripod, she carefully turned the targeting reticle towards the top of one of the fence posts, aiming for the very top. That would be a good standardization. Holding down the button, she waited until the number flashed up, then entered it into her notebook.

Humming to herself, she took the level and mounted it on top of the laser targeter, recording the angle of elevation, before glancing at the angle it formed with the north facing needle. Once she took a few more measurements, she'd be able to accurately estimate the size of the fence precisely. Then it would just be a matter of a few details.

She was just about to turn the radar when she heard a sound ahead of her. Holding her breath, she crouched down lower, peering through the foliage. Straining her hearing, she tried to identify what it was. There was a low rumble, and a shuffling, so she guessed it was some kind of herbivore.

Risking a small peek, she glanced over the ferns, trying to peek through the trees to see the creature. She smiled as she beheld an adult Stegosaurus behind the fence. The tan skin was quite evident against the green grass, and its large size certainly didn't help camouflage it.

Using the laser targeter to get a better look, she took in the sight eagerly. With the magnification on the lens, she could see the slight bumps on the scaled skin, almost like goosebumps. The memory of sensation ghosted across her fingertips as she thought about the young stegosaurus' at the Gentle Giants attraction.

Looking back at the tail, she could see that like the young ones, their tails dropped uncharacteristically low. In reality, the Stegosaurus tail was raised much higher, with a slight decline at the end. With the shift in balance, she wasn't surprised at how slow they moved.

Leaning back for a moment to relax, she wondered how often that arrangement caused joint problems for the vets to deal with. It would certainly help to know for when she got to making her own. Even the ones on Sorna were imperfect, with no ossicles on their shortened throat, and their tails failed to curve down at the tip. That, and they were still too large to be accurate.

Her timer beeped, and Cathy sighed as she started packing her stuff back together. She had hoped to be able to take more data, but even she was prone to getting sidetracked. Next time, she mused, taking one last glance at the Stegosaurus. Even with all its inbuilt failures, it was a sight to see. The first steps towards the perfection of genetic reconstruction. A path she intended to take the next step on.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Glancing up, Cathy was glad that the park had optional hats for their uniforms. The sun was particularly vicious today, but that wasn't about to stop her from taking her shift. She would have preferred an afternoon or morning shift, but she wanted to "prove" she could be flexible by taking different hours, so she had to suck it up for a noon shift.

Looking back down, she noted that they were getting a new "wave." The crowd tended to ebb and flow, though the Gentle Giants was usually one of the most popular attractions. People would see some open spots on the fence line and hurry to pet the animals, while others would see the crowding and come back later. Eventually, some of the spots would open up, and the whole cycle would repeat itself.

Putting on her best smile, Cathy started walking towards the fence line, eyes sweeping over the crowd. She spotted a few of the novelty straw hats and a few clutched maps. With a slight cough, she got the attention of the closest guests. "Please remember to keep straw and paper away from the dinosaurs. It upsets their digestion."

She gave a genuine smile as she saw a few guests hastily put away maps, smiling and mumbling apologies for their simple, innocent neglect. She simply nodded, and was about to turn when a voice spoke.

"What do they eat?"

Cathy turned, spotting a young girl looking at her expectantly. It took a moment for Cathy to realize that the girl was addressing her. "Well, it depends on the species."

"What do those eat?" the girl asked, pointing to one of the passing Gallimimus, her little hand stretching towards it. Cathy glanced at the Gallimimus, weighing her options. Technically, they weren't supposed to handle the animals directly unless it was to help someone or to prevent damage. And she wasn't sure how much she really wanted to indulge guests. People weren't her thing.

On the other hand, being seen playing nice with guests couldn't hurt her odds. With that in mind, she fished into her pocket, pulling out some feed. "Well, fossil evidence suggests that they mostly ate plants and insects. Here at the park, we feed them special pellets."

Kneeling down, she whistled at the Gallimimus, holding back the temptation to make a more appropriate sound. Its large, disc-like eyes turned to face her, and appraised her cupped hand. She shook her hand slightly, letting the pellets make a bit of noise. _That_ got it's attention, and it started to approach slowly, eyes flicking around.

"Gallimimus are naturally timid creatures," she explained, watching the way it occasionally flicked its head to one side or the other, alternating which eye it looked at them with. "They have monocular vision, which means the eyes see different things, and they don't have the same depth perception as us. Right now, it's watching to make sure there aren't any threats."

Cathy glanced back at the girl and was surprised to see a number of other guests paying attention as well. Brushing aside their attention, she turned back to the Gallimimus, which seemed hesitant to approach. Gingerly, Cathy let some pellets spill to the ground, and the Gallimimus looked down quickly, then back up, re-enticed. Finally, it closed the last section of distance and began to eat from her hand.

"If you look closely, you can see that their bills have small grooves. Paleontologists think that they most likely sifted through mud in order to dig up plants and insects," she explained. Movement in the corner of her eye made her turn, and she could see the girl stretching to touch the Gallimimus.

Sighing, Cathy reached into her pocket, fishing some more pellets out. The Gallimimus watched as she poured a few into the girl's hand.

"Now, hold your hand very still. Any motion might upset it. Gallimimus are herd animals, and the way they react to danger is to run. So you have to hold. Very. Still," she instructed seriously. The girl nodded slightly as the Gallimimus approached, chirping slightly.

Interest, and hunger, if Cathy was hearing right.

Finally, it put its mouth into the food and the girl smiled, but to her credit, kept still. Cathy chuckled slightly at the sight, lightly dusting the residue off her hands. She'd have to wash her hands later, but that probably got her a couple of points. Glancing over her shoulder, she could see Mr. Ryde looking over at her, a light smile on his face. Upon meeting eyes, he nodded slightly before turning his gaze, looking out for trouble.

"Thank you!" the girl said, catching Cathy off guard.

"Uh, sure," she replied lamely.

"What's its name?"

"What?"

"Does he have a name?"

Cathy laughed slightly. "Actually, Jurassic World makes all of its dinosaurs female. It's a her, and I don't think they have names."

"Why not?"

Her immediate response of "they're not pets" danced on her tongue, but she held back for a moment. Now she was in foreign territory. She wasn't used to playing nice for this long, and especially not with kids.

"Well, they're not like a dog or cat," she started, trying to think of a good answer. "They're more like...wild animals."

"Or like farm animals!"

Cathy could see where that misinterpretation could come from. "Not quite. Farm animals are domesticated. These ones are just...well-behaved."

"But you can ride them, can't you?" the girl asked, confused. Cathy could see her looking at one of the other children who was doing just that on a baby Triceratops.

"Yes, but that's because they're young and trained," Cathy explained, turning slightly so she could look at the exhibit better. She scanned the animals quickly and settled on one of the baby Stegosaurus. "You see that Stegosaurus?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, right now, it's about as tall as you, but it weighs a lot more. If you hugged it, it would barely notice. But if it got scared and bumped you, it could knock you over easily. That's why they file the points on the thagomizer down."

"Dragonizer?"

"_Thagomizer_," Cathy corrected. "It's what they call the spiky part of the tail. Adult Stegosaurus use it to defend themselves from predators."

Cathy immediately regretted her choice of words as she realized what she had said. She had just implied that dinosaurs killed dinosaurs. How would a kid handle the concepts of killing and death? How would-

"Oh, like the movies!" she pointed out. "The Stego swings its tail and attacks the mean dinosaurs!"

_Or she could be a kid_, Cathy reminded herself with an ironic smile. "Mostly correct. Carnivores aren't really _mean_. They're just trying to survive. After all, the Gallimimus you're feeding was what we call an _opportunistic_ carnivore. That meant that it ate meat when it was available."

"Really?" the girl asked, looking down with a hint of fear.

"Don't worry. The most it could do to you is tickle your hand," she assured. "It doesn't have the strength or tools to bite you. But if it found another dinosaur's...hunt, it might eat some of it."

"Why do they hunt?"

"They need to eat," Cathy explained. "Take our Tyrannosaurus, for instance. In order to support her body, she needs to eat. Meat is simply one kind of energy. It's very densely packed with energy, and once they eat, they don't need to eat for a while."

She didn't need to hear the part where the same Rex had eaten several people. Instead, she simply let the girl spin her wheels for a moment, looking at the dinosaurs silently. Idly, Cathy wondered what was going through her head, but settled for looking at the other dinosaurs.

"That's super cool," the girl finally said, smiling brightly. "How did you learn so much?"

Cathy coughed slightly, covering her surprise. "Well, I...read a lot of books. Watched a lot of videos."

It was the technical truth, which worked well enough for her. The girl smiled, and nodded. "I'm going to read a lot of books so I can know a lot about dinosaurs too!"

"You do that," Cathy smiled, taking that as her chance to stand and finally exit the situation. She appreciated the girl's enthusiasm, but she didn't like everyone else looking at her. She was all too aware of how many people and phones were looking at her. "Take care, kid."

"'Bye!"

Cathy waved lazily as the girl left with what she presumed were her parents, and Cathy quickly made her escape then, backing away from the fence. She tried to ignore the lingering feeling of cameras on her as she busied herself with her job.

Finally, she could begin to feel the last of them turn away and made a mental note to trawl YouTube later so she could report any uploaded footage on privacy claims. Best of both worlds; positive rep with her superiors, and she still kept the trail as contained as possible.

She turned her thoughts back to watching the animals, knowing it was only a matter of time before something went wrong. The new arrivals had finally been added, and so far, the handlers seemed to have done their job, as the new ones were almost indistinguishable from the old ones, aside from their size.

Even so, they were taking _some_ precautions, much to Cathy's amusement. Someone with an iota of common sense had realized that letting guests stress out the new arrivals instantly was a bad idea, and a close eye was maintained on the newer ones. No one was allowed to ride them yet either.

Not for lack of trying, she noted as she saw a couple of kids move towards one of the new Triceratops, only for Mr. Ryde to head them off and gently inform them that the new animal was still getting adjusted, and suggest that they play with one of the others. Being the children they were, the distraction worked perfectly, and they were soon headed to bother a different, more adapted animal.

Cathy merely shook her head. Kids came in all stripes it seemed. Not that she really cared much. The thought of interacting with them rarely crossed her mind. She could do it for a job, but why everyone found them so damned adorable was beyond her. They were just small, uneducated humans.

Suppressing a sigh, she realized that one of her co-workers was "surreptitiously" approaching her. Catherine Langley, one of the other interns. Cathy had only really had a couple of real interactions with her, but she already didn't like her.

She was the definition of a social butterfly. She had been one of the people starting the unofficial social groups. Specifically, she was in the afternoon shift, if Cathy's memory served. The worst part of it though was their shared name, which Catherine had been quick to point out, and Cathy had been quicker to ignore.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were afternoon shift," Cathy asked conversationally, knowing there was no way to avoid it.

"They wanted more people on staff with the new animals, so I volunteered," she explained. "That was really nice of you to do, by the way."

"What did I do?" Cathy asked, turning in confusion. Had she done something for Catherine? It had certainly not been intentional if so.

"With the little girl? That was above and beyond," Catherine complimented. "Didn't realize you were so sweet with kids."

"I'm not," Cathy responded instantly, before adding, "It's just easy to talk about dinosaurs. She...seemed to like them."

"They're so cute, aren't they? Look at their little horns!"

Cathy resisted the urge to roll her eyes. The idea that anyone would find a dinosaur "cute" was beyond her.

"Oh come on, you don't find the babies cute?"

"Nope," she responded honestly. "Small, and young, yes, but cute, no. They're just small versions of the real deal."

"Ah, I see, you're more of a big dinosaur person, aren't you?"

"You could take it that way. I just prefer the adults. They're more interesting."

"But the babies are so inquisitive! Look at the way they look at people, and the way they eat and play. It's just so innocent."

The first thought that came to Cathy mind was of a baby Tyrannosaurus. Specifically, the one involved in the San Diego Incident. Most people hadn't seen the interior hull footage wherein the then-Head of InGen had been killed by the young Trex after its mother had bitten off his leg.

Inquisitive, indeed.

"So what do you want to do if you weren't at the Gentle Giants?" Catherine asked.

"Not sure," Cathy answered honestly. "I can do whatever job they need me for."

"But something tells me what they need you for might not be what you want to do," Catherine noted.

"Not quite," Cathy agreed. "But in the end, it doesn't really matter. I'm happy just to be here."

"Important place to you?"

"Kinda."

The conversation fell off after that, and Cathy was surprised when Catherine didn't seem to have anything more to say than that. It was a strangely welcome silence. Turning her gaze back upwards, Cathy looked at the blue sky and sighed.

"Hey, hey, hey!"

Cathy instantly snapped to attention, trying to spot the source of the problem. Mr. Ryde had moved, and was on the other end of the pen, near the back corner. In the corner was one of the new baby Apatosaurus, and for a moment, she thought that maybe a kid was harassing it, but she quickly saw that Mr. Ryde was cordoning it off, not trying to pry a kid off.

Judging by the way it was flicking its tail, it was agitated. There weren't any predators, or threats, so why was it getting set off? Her thoughts were cut off as Catherine rushed passed her, moving to help Mr. Ryde.

"It's okay, it's okay," they both assured, trying to calm the Apatosaurus, but it wasn't having it. Its tail flicked with a slight crack, and she could see Mr. Ryde move his arm to keep Catherine back. Even as a baby, the tail could cause some serious harm if it was truly upset.

She could hear the crowd starting to get worried, and she hesitated, wondering what she should do. The murmuring was starting, and that would only raise tensions. It wasn't until then that she _felt_ it.

Just an undercurrent, way lower than any of them could hear; something was making noise. Maybe the Rex, maybe the Mosasaur, but something was making noise, and the baby, not used to the sounds, was upset.

It was no wonder they couldn't calm it. They thought that something they could hear had spooked it. But the sound that had set it off was infrasonic, and now it was getting more frightened.

She realized that her hand had slipped into her pocket, where her phone was. The phone that contained dinosaur calls. She hesitated, looking around. No one was looking at her, their attention focused on the baby.

This could be her chance to really _test_ it. To see if her theories were correct. The thought made her grip her phone tighter, fighting the impulse. But ultimately, her need won out, and she quickly turned it on, cranking up the volume.

Navigating the folders with speed and precision, she found the apatosaurus file, and scrolled until she found the file she was looking for. _ApatInfraCalm_. Direct, simple. Pressing play, she could feel the vibration, but no sound came out. _Perfect_.

Sliding the phone back into her pocket, she jogged up, stopping a short distance behind the other handlers. She needed to get closer, take control of the situation. "Everyone be quiet!"  
"What?" Mr. Ryde asked, looking at her from the corner of his eye.

"Just, be quiet. It needs quiet." Mr. Ryde looked at her, hesitating for a moment, but nodded slowly, though he still kept close, preventing the animal from leaving the corner.

Cathy stared intently at the Apatosaurus, making sure to keep out of tail range. It was really ironic, she noted; most people worried about the Triceratops' horns or the Stegosaurus' thagomizer, but no one paid attention to the Apatosaurus' tail, which could fight off adult Carnotaurus.

What she did notice was it did seem to calm down a bit, though that was really only evident in how it had stopped swishing its tail. It's head was still thrashing, but it appeared to be looking for something. _The source of the sound_, Cathy realized.

"Right here," she uttered, moving her arms slightly to catch its attention. The Apatosaurus turned its head so it could focus one eye on her, still moving its feet nervously.

She slowly reached into her pocket for more chow, while using her other hand to open the pocket a little, allowing more of the "sound" out. Enticed by both food, and the source of the strange calm, the Apatosaurus took a step forward. Cathy could see Mr. Ryde move a bit closer, and she smiled slightly, genuinely appreciating the concern, even if it wasn't needed.

"It should be calm now," she said quietly, offering the chow to Mr. Ryde. "Can you handle it? You have more experience than me."

"Sure…" he said at length, appraising her. "I'll get it back in the pen. You need a break?"

"I'm fine, sir," she replied, already stepping away like nothing had happened. He seemed to want to say something, but simply nodded, offering the food to the Apatosaurus. Once it had started eating, he began leading it to the gate, where a couple of handlers joined him in order to get it back to holding.

Reaching into her pocket, Cathy quickly turned down the sound and shut off her phone without looking at it before returning to her job. Still, she couldn't help her smile.

It had _worked_.

* * *

Cathy was just packing up her stuff from the morning shift a few days later when Mr. Ryde came over.

"Just got a message from the guys over at the Innovation Center. They want you to come over to the Genetics Lab once you're all changed."

Cathy froze mid-way through removing her Jurassic World coat. Fortunately, she found her voice quickly enough. "They say any reason why?"

Ryde shrugged. "No idea. Just got the message. Need me to take care of the clock out?"

"Nah, it'll only take a moment," Cathy dismissed. "Thanks."

Mr. Ryde nodded, then left to go do some other task, but Cathy wasn't paying attention anymore. Why was she being called to the Genetics Lab? Was it time to switch jobs? She hadn't heard anyone else talking about it, and she was normally good at catching these things before they were announced.

Her first reaction wasn't a good one. _Wu_.

But there was no reason to think _he_ would want to talk. After all, she was just an intern, and he was head of the Genetics Lab. Was it the incident a couple days ago with the baby Apatosaurus? She hadn't been the only one. Catherine wasn't here, so it was feasible she was being called as well, but Mr. Ryde wasn't. Thus it was unlikely that Catherine was, unless it was specifically about interns, but the fact that none of the others were involved meant it was probably just her.

Which made her circle back to Wu. Had he figured her out? If so, she was in a terrible situation. If she went, then she'd have to figure out some way out of it. Hopefully this was something routine.

Nothing to do but go and see if she could fix the problem. She didn't even have time to prepare, or swing by her room. The more paranoid part of her wondered if it was intentional. She didn't like being caught off balance.

She kept turning it over in her head as she did her clocking out, recording the times of departure and noting the lack of incidents dutifully. It still didn't buy her enough time.

The walk over to the Innovation Center irritated went quickly, and soon she found herself stepping into the main lobby, a Brachiosaur hologram dwarfing the crowds. With her official hat and badge, it wasn't hard to weave through the crowd to the back of the lobby where the Genetics Lab was. Stepping once more into the dark mouth of the hall, she could almost feel the coldness of the blue light as she reached the glass display rooms.

Flashing her ID to the scanner, she stepped into the cleaning chamber, feeling the quick blast of air with impassivity. Carefully, she stepped through the other door, looking for someone to tell her why she was here…

Only to come face to face with Dr. Wu.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Cathy had no trouble admitting that comparing herself to a predator was not entirely inaccurate. She was cold, calculating, and meticulous. Even the professors she had gotten along with had said something of that effect to her. There wasn't a moment of her life where she wasn't focused on her self-appointed task.

But now...here in this moment she felt _fear_.

The lab around them seemed to stop existing, the geneticists fading into the icy blue background, leaving only Dr. Wu and his pure black shirt. His pale skin was thrown into stark contrast, making him seem to almost glow with a cold light even as he smiled.

It was habit that forced her from her stupor as Wu offered a hand. She offered hers in return and was snapped back into reality by the touch of his hand on hers.

"You must be Ms. Bowman," he said without changing his smile. He looked her up and down once, before nodding. "Thank you for coming so quickly. It's nice to see such punctuality."

"Of course, doctor," she replied automatically, almost throwing in the 'doctor' at the last minute. Wu's smile widened slightly, and she could see a hint of genuine pleasure in it.

"And a proper recognition for titles. You would be surprised how many people seem to assume I prefer 'sir' to 'doctor'," he commented with a shake of his head. "But enough small talk. Let's go somewhere more private."

He stepped to her side, one arm in the space behind her as if trying to prevent her from leaving, while gesturing to the same door they'd walked through during the tour with his other. She stepped forward mechanically, mind racing.

The first thing she needed to do was get a hold of herself. She needed to act natural, and strong. Not confrontational, but assured. She wasn't in trouble-at least, not yet. His greeting had been polite, and arguably even kind.

The second was to find out exactly why she was here. If it was routine, then she doubted it would take long, and Wu would be blunt about it. If it were something else, then asking would sort that out rather quickly.

"Why did you need me, doctor?" she asked as they walked, letting him lead by a half pace.

"It's nothing wrong, I assure you," he said calmly and she could see the slightest curve of a smile on his face. But he said nothing more, making her think it was likely the second possibility.

The only thing she'd done in recent memory was the incident with the baby Apatosaurus. He could simply be congratulating her, but it was delayed, and he was head of Genetics, not Animal Care. Besides which, if he cared enough to congratulate her, he could have just sent a message or something. No need to handle it personally.

Had he figured her out? She didn't think it was likely. No one had seen her, and no one could have heard the recording. Maybe if they had touched her, they could have felt it, but no one had come in contact with her, and certainly no one that would report it. Besides, that would be specious evidence _at best_, and no one would make the leap of logic to assume that it was due to a recording of dinosaur infrasonics.

So it had to be something else. No easy answer made sense. Maybe she was getting moved to intern with the Genetics department, but considering that hadn't been part of her focus, she doubted it. Unless they were really low on genetics interns, but there had to be hundreds of people lining up for the opportunity a year.

Cathy felt her tension rise as they headed down the hall towards a door she'd seen on her way through the first time: Dr. Wu's office. She hoped they were headed somewhere else, but he stopped right next to his nameplate and opened the door, gesturing inside formally. "Please, have a seat."

"Thank you," she replied politely, moving to take one of the seats opposite his. Quickly, she looked around the office, not at all surprised. She'd seen it a couple of times in promotional images, but the precision of it all still shone through. His shelves were occupied entirely with either his own work, or relevant texts, and his desk was arranged functionally, with a side desk for what seemed to be personal experiment records.

"So, Ms. Bowman," Wu started, sliding into his seat behind the desk, lacing his fingers in front of him. He looked every bit the confident, cool, collected geneticist he made himself out to be. "I am told you were involved in an incident in the Gentle Giants enclosure a few days ago."

Cathy started to prepare a response, but Wu continued, lifting up a paper to skim the contents through the bottom of his vision, alternating precisely between reading and fixing her with his gaze. "According to Mr. Ryde, you were instrumental in calming down a young Generation 18 Apatosaurus."

"I was just doing my job," she replied politely, trying to smile. Maybe if he thought she was the humble type, this would be over faster and smoother.

"If only everyone's definition of just doing their job was as professional as yours," he commented, picking up another paper. "You're quite a regular and hard worker, according to many of the staff. Their reports paint you as a determined, focused individual. You pull at least one shift every day, often more."

Wu paused, glancing back at her with a smile. "I can certainly admire that. It's clear that you've got a goal in mind, and you're pursuing it to the best of your abilities. And I can tell your abilities are...many fold."

The pause made Cathy nervous, as did the slightly knowing smile. Wu was dragging this out longer than was necessary, which meant he was probably building up to something. An idea came to her, and she briefly wavered on whether to enact it. She decided to try it. "It's a very competitive job. You have to work harder if you want to get noticed."

She noted Wu's eyebrow cock appreciatively before he smiled. "That it is. Our industry is a highly competitive one, both internally and externally. Many people are content to simply stay the course, but Jurassic World has been founded on improvement and experimentation. There are many that would like to know half of what we know."

Cathy smiled, feeling a little more confident as the topic diverted away from her. "I can only imagine. From what I've read, your work has been instrumental in pushing the park forward."

"It's true that what I do is a large part of Jurassic World's continual lead in the industry, but we can shed the flattery," he dismissed easily, throwing her a smile as easily as he threw her off-guard. "After all, I didn't invite you here to talk about my abilities."

Once again, he picked up the paper outlining what she presumed was her performance. "I wanted to talk about your thesis. Dinosaur communication: rare field."

Cathy felt her blood freeze even as she forced herself to keep smiling politely. It was _possible_ he'd simply done some digging on her after the incident and _just so happened_ to be interested in her work, but she doubted it was a coincidence. She tried to think of a response, but fortunately, Wu seemed more than content to remain in control of the conversation.

"I took the liberty of reading over your thesis. It's quite brilliant work, and very thoroughly laid out. Your examination of displacement was simply masterful. It's an often overlooked part of language development theories," Wu outlined, looking almost...proud?

"It's one of the fundamental parts of language," she agreed, choosing her words carefully. "It just seemed right to investigate it."

Wu nodded almost absently, as if he could tell the line was bullshit. "I would say you'd be surprised, but something tells me you wouldn't when I say that not many would think of such a topic. You're quite observant."

"Thank you, doctor."

"I pride myself on my ability to see things others don't," Wu continued, moving over to his bookshelf, perusing the titles. "I'm sure you're aware of my work in the field of genetics."

"I've read _An Evolution of God's Concepts_. One of the landmark books in frontier genetic research."

Wu nodded approvingly. That had been the right answer. "I'm glad to hear you appreciate my work. Seems you're a student of many fields. Not many have read my book. Tell me, what did you think was the most important part of the book?"

Cathy bit back a curse. He'd turned her strategy against her. In praising his book, she'd played the fact that she was more than passingly familiar with genetics. If she went with a lowball answer, it would lose her all the credit she'd earned so far, but if she went too far, it would certainly damn her.

"I was fascinated with your production of the _karacosis wutansis_," she explained, gesturing to the small plant growing in the corner of his lab. "It seemed remarkably practical compared to many genetics papers I'd read."

Wu looked down at her for a moment, before glancing at the plant himself. "The _wutansis_ was just to show the validity of my research, but you're in the right direction. Many of my colleagues are content to dwell on you're someone who deals in practicalities," Wu continued, turning to face her directly. "How things actually work. I can tell from the way you wrote your paper. I believe one of the closing remarks was something to the effect of 'focused testing would be able to conclusively prove the aforementioned elements'."

"It could technically disprove it," Cathy pointed out.

"I wouldn't sell yourself short. After all, we both know that's not true," Wu dismissed. He closed the file quickly, and set it down before sitting back down at the table. "So tell me, Ms. Bowman; where do you see your internship with Jurassic World going?"

"Mostly I just hope to get hired," she explained, semi-honestly.

Wu actually chuckled at that, and she couldn't help but smile at the joke. "That is very fair. But I meant what would you hope to do if you _did_ get hired?"

Cathy thought over her response carefully. There were surely dozens of people who came here to study the dinosaurs, even though the place was technically an amusement park. That was a safe answer. "I'd want to study the dinosaurs."

"I assume you'd want to study their communication?" Wu pressed.

"If it's possible," she agreed evasively.

Wu was silent for a moment, seemingly weighing options in his head. "I'm sure you're aware that our animals are park bred, and thus, the results are only applicable to them, correct?"

"Yes, doctor. However, they are the only dinosaurs in the world."

"Aside from Sorna," he corrected. Cathy had to admit she was surprised that he would mention that, and he smiled as if reading her mind. "I'm sure you can gather I'm not like many of my colleagues. Many of them refuse to talk about Sorna and the San Diego Incident, but it certainly happened."

"True," Cathy agreed slowly. "But Sorna's under quarantine. So Nublar is the best place to go."

"Of course," Wu nodded. After a moment, he collected together some of his papers, setting them aside. "Well, I think that covers it. Thank you for dropping by."

"Did you need anything else?" she asked, surprised at the sudden shift.

"No. You more than answered my questions," he smiled. "If I need anything else, I'll let you know. Keep up the good work."

Cathy nodded her thanks, standing up. She was headed for the door when Wu spoke again. "Oh, I just recalled. Security sent around an email earlier. Something about upping security at the beach. We've had some rowdy guests lately, so it's just a precaution. Figured I'd give you the heads up, while you were here."

Out of all the things Wu had said, that one made her the most uncomfortable. It was entirely possible that it was coincidental, but she didn't believe in that. And as she turned to look at him, she could see a predatory look in his eyes behind his smile. One that said "_Check_. _Your move._"

And Cathy wasn't sure what hers was.

* * *

Cathy sat on the edge of the bed, staring straight ahead.

Her hand twitched as she fought the urge to throw her room out of order. To take all her careful plans and just dash them.

All her planning hadn't helped when Wu had cornered her. All the documents in her room, every map-they hadn't helped.

Taking a deep breath, she tried once more to compose her thoughts. She needed to take stock. List what she knew, and what she needed to do next.

Wu hadn't _overtly_ threatened her. What did that mean? If he had wanted to kick her out, he could have. He hadn't. Which meant he didn't want to. At least, not yet. But what that meant, she didn't know.

He knew about her prior research, which combined with the fact that he knew where she was going, was enough to believe he knew about at least part of her focus. At the minimum, he likely knew that she was far more capable of deciphering dinosaur behaviors than anyone else.

So where did that leave her?

She tapped her finger against the map she was holding, trying to think it through. He knew she had information, and yet he hadn't asked for it. Did he intend to steal it? Cathy glanced at her materials, suddenly aware of their bulk. That would be...difficult. Not only were the hallways monitored, but anyone wanting to steal her materials would be hard pressed to get that much material out of the building. Not to mention the fact that she would most definitely notice if anything went missing.

But that didn't mean that it wouldn't go missing. Or they could break into her room and copy the materials. That wouldn't even be hard to arrange, she realized. All it would take is one crooked security officer, and they could sneak into her room. Take pictures, back up the drives. Or Wu could even frame her, if he wanted to badly enough.

Well, she wasn't going to let that happen. Before the night was over, all the drives would be backed to the Cloud, then wiped. Fried, even.

That took care of one of the possible problems, but the documents were another. She couldn't just destroy them. There was so much she still needed from them. A thought started coming to her. She _could_ simply take pictures of them and back them to a Cloud. It was certainly tempting, and the reasonable thing to do. She was hesitant to destroy such important documents, but it might have to be done.

There was another factor: portability. While having all the documents online would work well at whatever base she established, having them on the move would be hard, since there was a high risk of damaging her devices if she brought them into the wilds. After a moment of hesitation, she made up her mind. She would have to save only the most vital, and move them elsewhere, then destroy the rest.

It was a tough decision, but the right one.

Carefully, she made sure to check her door was still locked before propping a chair under the handle. If someone tried to come in, she'd have advance warning. Suddenly, she was glad she didn't have a room with a balcony. While she doubted they'd be so bold as to go that way, she wasn't about to take chances. Even so, she locked the windows and drew the shades.

Just her and a room full of secrets that quickly needed to disappear.

As she began sorting, she let her mind wander back to Wu. There were still many more questions she had about him. If he wasn't trying to destroy her immediately, what was he doing? When they talked, he sounded almost...approving, in his own way. He had certainly shown a certain respect for what she had studied.

The brief thought that he might even support her flashed through her head, and she just as quickly dismissed it. She doubted that. It was just too...impossible. Otherwise, why would he threaten her? If he approved, wouldn't the better option be to simply invite her to share what she knew?

No, he had made it seem like she should keep it quiet. But why would he give advice to his enemy? If that was the case, he didn't see her as a true enemy. Maybe a risk, given his dissuasion, but not an enemy. But he didn't help her, so he wasn't an ally.

Which put her back at square one: not knowing what he was.

She shook her head, refocusing. Maybe she was looking at it from the wrong angle. He was the head of InGen's genetic division. It wasn't his job to deal with animal handling, just creation. Maybe he was interested, but couldn't step in officially. The threat could be his way of making sure she didn't step out of line. But if that was so, then he would have given her more advice on how to progress in her track, or offered to talk in a non-official capacity. Instead, he had called her to his office.

Which meant anything said would be tracked by the internal recording software. But he worked for InGen, which meant that it wouldn't be shared with the park. She paused in her work, the thought sticking in her mind. He worked for _InGen_, not Jurassic World. His interests were InGen's interests. He had alluded to it as much with his distinction between his acknowledgement and Jurassic World's feigned ignorance.

Wu was a man who considered everything. The plants on the island were harmless, at least, as far as normal plants. The dinosaurs were carefully bred to be passive and calm, even the carnivores. He was meticulous. Anyone who read his book could tell that without having met him. Which meant that everything was according to plan-just like her.

So something about what she was doing worked for him. And judging by the conversation, it was something to do with her activities, and dinosaur communication. There were obvious usages for dinosaur communication at the park, but this was larger than that. He wanted it for something else.

Maybe training? The raptors in the park were in the early stages of training. Being able to understand their communications and potentially even talk back would rapidly develop the program. Even she could see the military applications of that. It hadn't been officially stated as such; just a science experiment. But she knew better.

And so did he.

She smiled to herself at the thought. She may have played some of her hand to Wu, but so had he. In his pride, he'd unveiled some critical information to her. She was _valuable_ to him in some fashion, which gave her leverage. And if it had to do with dinosaur communications, she was the only one with that skill

And once the files were gone, she would be the only one capable of getting them.

Stacking papers, she couldn't help but think to herself:

_Check, Dr. Wu_.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Returning to her room the next day was both an exercise in cataloguing, and a relief. After carefully confirming that nobody had entered her room or taken anything, she could feel her paranoia relax. Slightly.

Now that damage control was over, it was time to focus on moving forward. Wu's threat had caught her off-guard, but she wasn't going to let it stop her. She'd just have to be careful; change things up a little.

There were still a few goals that needed to be accomplished. Firstly, she needed to find a way past the fence. So far, no avenues of access had presented themselves, or at least, feasible ones. True, there was nothing physically stopping her from approaching the fence, but the cameras would nab her easily. Only at her safe distance could she take her measurements.

Briefly, she thought about the very edges of the fence, where it met the ocean. On both sides, the fence ran right up the cliff side, with a little bit of shoring to ensure that it wouldn't go tumbling into the water. In theory, she could scale the cliffs down and around. But there was both the risk of being sucked into the water and killed, and the fact that they likely had cams there too. She wouldn't have doubted stories about young, dumb couples taking their boats around the fence to the north beach.

It looked like her best way through was to go directly through the fence rather than around. But so far, she'd had no luck finding an opening.

Sighing, she went to the window, staring out at the park. Taking a deep breath, she refocused her mind. She needed to prioritize her thoughts, not spiral off endlessly.

After she found a new path to the fence, she would observe it. Once she circumvented it, that was when taking samples came into play.

Firstly, she had to get samples from the dinosaurs: biological material of any kind. Blood was preferable, but getting reptiles to bleed was hard enough, not to mention that it would leave noticeable wounds for the vets.

Second, not every dinosaur would just sit there and let her get material. The carnivores were an obvious one, since without the "invisible fence technology" around her, they would likely have no hesitation attacking her. Even the herbivores weren't a cakewalk. A Stegosaurus or Triceratops would kill her just as easily, and wouldn't even need to use their weapons. Just step on her.

The image of a raptor on Sorna came to mind, disappearing under one of the large herbivores. The audible _crunch_ made sure she never made that mistake.

And not every dinosaur was equally available or present on Nublar. The Tyrannosaurus was constantly observed, and the raptors were in their own secure pen. Some of the dinosaurs on Sorna hadn't been used in the new park, meaning she couldn't get their genetic samples in the wild.

Wu flashed into her mind. As head geneticist, he no doubt had access to any sample she could ever hope for, and more. But it wasn't a simple matter of walking up and asking him.

_Excuse me, can I have your entire genetic library?_

_Oh, sure. And while you're at it, here's a personal escort to Sorna. Have a nice day._

As if that would happen.

Some samples would be easy to obtain, though. She had just the right source available at her disposal; the Gentle Giants. A bunch of young, growing reptiles. Inevitably, they would shed scales. Hell, that was sometimes a job that the keepers assisted with. The shed scales were rich in DNA if you could just extract it. She didn't have that capability yet, but she did have the capacity to store it. Sorna would do the rest.

That got her herbivore samples, but not carnivore ones. It would likely be awhile before they needed to grow a new carnivore, and she didn't want to be here that long. If need be, she could, but she hoped that she could figure something out before then.

As it was, her idea had been to get a dart rifle, one of the ones modified to take blood samples for scientists. They weren't illegal, and relatively lightweight. Once her boat got here, she could have it shipped to the mainland, and then smuggle it onboard her ship on the way back.

Nodding with satisfaction, she looked over the park below her. From her room, she could see the fenceline in the far distance, peeking up over the trees. She wished her device was accurate enough to measure distances from here, but that simply wasn't an option. She'd need to find somewhere else, a way she could get to the fence.

She could see the Innovation Center, and Main Street extending from it. Anywhere near the Innovation Center was probably highly watched, and not just for security reasons. As the most densely visited part of the island, that was where the most children were, and children tended to get lost. So the park kept an eye out like a good lawsuit-evasive industry.

Her next idea to approach the fence was the bamboo garden, but she dismissed that almost as quickly. A dense forest full of adults meant there were likely incidents of public indecency to worry about, which meant security would be there as well. Maybe when the park had first opened, but now it had learned. Not to mention it was too far southwest in the layout. At some point, she'd have to cross a road, and then she might as well have started there.

As she looked at the park, a detail caught her eye. There were a lot of drones flying around the park. She had dismissed it as one of those modern trends like selfie-sticks, but an idea formed in her head. A drone could get passed the fence easily. She wondered if there were versions that had an in-built dart gun. If so, then a lot of her problems were solved.

Given that the park sold drones for kids, she also knew there were likely procedures in place to deal with them. People flying drones over the fence would be nothing new, but she doubted that they destroyed them. There was probably a camera for spotting them. If the intrusion was accidental, then they could retrieve it, but if it was intentional, they could ID the drone. She got an amused chuckle out of the fact that the park would likely take only token measures, seeing as the rich assholes who flew them probably would throw a fit if they damaged the drone.

Well, now she had a new project. Firstly, find and order a drone for her own usage. Second, find out if anyone had attempted to get past the fence before, and how. And third, learn to use the thing so she could carry out her own operations.

Cathy smiled down at the park. Her day had just gotten significantly better.

* * *

"Hey! There you are!"

Cathy turned, squinting from under her baseball cap. She smiled as she saw Sarah approaching, expertly weaving through the crowd. Raising a hand in greeting, she noted that Sarah had arrived approximately on time. A good trait.

"Thanks for coming on time. Now we can get out of the sun," Cathy greeted, motioning to the door of Yoshinoya's. Sarah nodded, ducking inside, with Cathy following her inside.

The atmosphere was disorientating to say the least. The air grew warmer from both the cooking and the crowds of people, with only a hint of a cool moisture countering it. While the boardwalk was never quiet, the small building captured it all within the orange walls.

Still, social events were like this, Cathy reminded herself, forcing a smile. At least she could eat here. It was necessary to keep up the appearance of being friendly. Anti-social people were less likely to get hired.

"Any idea what you're getting?" Sarah asked conversationally.

"Something with lots of meat. Probably beef. You?"

"Never was one for heavy meats. Probably egg on rice. Big beef fan?"

"Dietary thing. I need to eat a lot of protein," Cathy half-explained.

"Huh. That much of a problem for you here?"

Cathy looked at Sarah in confusion for a moment before she realized how she meant it. "It's...not convenient, but very manageable. It certainly encourages me to do shopping rather than eating out."

Sarah laughed, and Cathy couldn't help but smile along. "Bet that saves you a bunch. You would not believe...well, maybe you would, but you would not believe how many interns I see blow through their savings on this island."

"I could see that," Cathy agreed. Jurassic World's prices were not exactly friendly things, and being social had a cost. "But don't worry. I've got budgeting skills."

"You don't have to pay for my meal-"

"I insist," Cathy interrupted. "Besides, you're paying me back with your time. But we should probably wait to talk about business until we're out of here."

Sarah silently agreed, and they spent the time in line making idle small talk. As much as Cathy wished she could just dismiss it, she paid attention, trying to retain at least some of the information. Being social had its own price for its rewards.

After far too long a wait, they were finally outside once more, and the scorching Nublar sun felt positively chilly compared to their time inside. There'd been too much jostling for Cathy's tastes, and she could feel one of her scars flaring up from where someone had bumped her.

"Where to now?" Cathy asked. Sarah likely knew the park better than her, and if they went somewhere quieter for a private conversation, that same location might be a good place to get outside the park.

"There's an employee rest area not far from here. Good way to stay out of the crowds. General employee, so you should be able to get in any time you want." Sarah started leading, and Cathy held in a sigh, containing her disappointment. Not what she had hoped for, but better than sitting in the open.

The rest area was located off to the side of the boardwalk, the path nestled between two stores. A solid metal door with a keycard scanner, and a camera overhead. The rest areas were definitely not the way to escape the park, Cathy noted. The inside was similarly utilitarian, with some simple benches in front of a row of lockers on one side, and a table surrounded by metal chairs under a TV in the opposite corner.

"Make yourself cozy," Sarah invited, grabbing a chair. Cathy sat opposite her, taking a glance around. Part of her was wondering what might be in the lockers, but decided that was a question for another time. Opening her meal, she smiled at the heaps of beef on top.

"So, how are things at the Gentle Giants?" Sarah asked, taking a bite of her own meal.

"It's going well. We're learning a lot about taking care of the animals, and getting into the routine," Cathy explained, poking to find a large piece. "Looking forward to when we get to rotate to our next thing."

"If I had to guess, they'll probably organize some rotations for you to shadow one of the vets on a trip to the north side. Maybe have you help in the Pachy Arena," Sarah guessed, tapping her fork against her lips as she thought. "They tend to save things like the food management for later, after they've shown off some of the more glamorous things."

"Nothing like logistics to ensnare applicants."

"You can say that again. You wouldn't believe the logistics of running the Mosasaur show. I'm just glad that I don't have to worry about the mechanics of it. Oh, speaking of, thought you'd be interested to read this." Sarah paused, reaching into her pack to pull out a folder. She quickly thumbed through it, opening to a page before handing it to Cathy.

Looking closer, it appeared to be a ledger, separated by dates and times. Each one corresponded to a show time, and had some weights. Some of them didn't have any numbers. "This a feeding chart?"

"Right on the nose!" Sarah confirmed. "After our discussion, I started tracking the number of times the Mosasaur was fed, and the weight of its meal. I had the guy who operates the pulley get the numbers for me. He has to track them for maintenance reasons."

Cathy nodded absently, looking over the numbers. The sharks were pretty big, and the Mosasaur seemed to eat relatively often. Part of her wondered where they got that many sharks, but for a park with cloning technology, it wasn't out of the question that they just grew them.

"So," Sarah continued. "I think with this, we can safely say that our Mosasaur is warm-blooded. Given the amount of meat it's eating to its body weight, that seems likely."

"I'd have to agree. I don't know all the numbers off-handedly, but that seems right." Cathy had to admit, she was impressed. The data seemed right, and the initiative was respectable. "How does this compare to fossil evidence?"

"Checked that too," Sarah said with a smile. "Paleontologists think that Mosasaurus was warm-blooded. So that was unaltered. But I think that's about where the similarities end."

"Oh? What did you find, aside from the size?"

"Well, that for one. It's far too large to be a natural Mosasaurus. And not like normal. It's several times bigger than any known Mosasaurus. And the colours are all wrong. It had melanin, which meant that it would have been black and white like an orca, not blue."

"Those...are good points," Cathy agreed slowly. She hadn't even considered those factors. Aquatic reptiles were a blind spot of hers, given that she didn't need them, but she still kicked herself. She would have to read more. "What else?"

"Well, its scales are all wrong too. It's all hard like a crocodile, but it should be smooth, and have keeled scales. Trust me, I get a good view of it every time it jumps up. It's clearly altered."

"You shouldn't be surprised," Cathy commented cautiously. "The real Mosasaurus probably wouldn't be as impressive."

"I can agree with that. An eighteen meter long snake with fins would be impressive, but not _as_ impressive. Still, I can't help but feel a little robbed."

"Robbed how?" Cathy asked in surprise. It was an oddly offended statement.

"Well…" Sarah trailed off. "Remember how I said I worked with marine animals? Well...it always kinda felt to me like I was accomplishing something out there on that pier. Training it in some way. Not like a dolphin, mind you, but maybe making it learn a thing or two. But knowing that it's not a pure animal...I can't help but feel that some of the success is in its genes, you know?"

Cathy frowned, unsure of what to say. This was getting entirely too personal for her tastes. What was it one was supposed to do in these situations? Hurriedly, she tried to remember all the things she'd heard.

Step one, disagree with the assertion. "I don't think that's right. I'm sure your skill has at least some effect on it. It's not _all_ in the genes."

Step two, undermine the negatives. "After all, you still altered its behaviour, right? And that requires skill. Besides, I don't think they could program that kind of behaviour genetically."

"You're right," Sarah agreed slowly, a small smile breaking out. "I guess it was just a little disheartening."

Step three, affirm the new, positive viewpoint. "I can get that. But relax, you're doing a good job."

"Thanks, Cathy," Sarah smiled. "Sorry, went off on a tangent there."

"It's alright," Cathy lied. "More than happy to talk with a friend."

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Sarah deflected after a moment.

"I was just thinking about how the internship has been going, and what the future is going to look like. Figured getting advice from someone who has been through it all wouldn't hurt."

"How would you say it's been going?" Sarah asked, looking relieved that her change of subject had worked. Cathy wasn't about to tell her it was because she didn't care.

"I'd say pretty well. I've gotten the hang of the job, pulled a lot of shifts, talked with the supervisors a lot."

"That's good. Haven't heard anything negative about you in office gossip either."

"That happens a lot?" Cathy asked, mildly interested.

"Sometimes. Just depends on who it is," Sarah winked. "Like...the fact that it's pretty common knowledge that a lot of the potheads among the staff like to man the Gyrosphere stations, since being so far away from the park means that when they go on break, there's no one around to catch them."

"Somehow, I'm not surprised. Guess life finds a way," Cathy quoted, mind drifting. Transport to the Gyrospheres would be monitored, but it wasn't impossible to sneak off around there. After all-

"You've read Malcolm too, huh?" Sarah interrupted. "Not surprised, since you're working here."

"Yeah, I've read a few of his works. I would have thought stuff like that would've been banned here, or at least discouraged, given his scathing criticism of the park."

"The administration has made so many statements debunking his claims that almost everyone has heard his books secondhand," Sarah laughed. "Like the book says, "Life finds a way"."

Cathy nodded silently, taking the opportunity to slip back into her previous thought. There were a few areas she could probably slink off to near the Gyrospheres, but she knew that wouldn't go unnoticed forever. Wu, and possibly others, were paying attention. Surely they'd see her go north, and then not appear on any cameras in the attractions nearby and put two and two together.

So that option was out.

"By the way," Sarah continued. "I heard there was a commotion at the Gentle Giants the other day. One of the babies got spooked or something."

"Oh, that? Yeah, something startled it, but they calmed it down pretty quickly. No one was hurt."

"Word is that you were part of that."

Cathy blinked as Sarah smiled knowingly at her. "Yeah, so?"

"So...I heard good things. Just wondering if you had anything to say. Let me give you a piece of advice; even if nothing happened, or it wasn't a big deal, find some way to spin it as at least a _little_ interesting. There's a lot of "water cooler" talk around here."

Cathy considered that, and slowly started again. "I saw that the handler and one of the other interns were working on calming it, so I stepped in to help keep people away while they did the work."

"That's better!" Sarah congratulated. "Keep practicing and you'll fit right in here."

"That's good to know," Cathy laughed. "I really want to get this job."

"I can tell," Sarah nodded. "A lot of the time, we have to break interns around here, but you're doing a good job. Unlike some of the stories I've heard."

"Oh? Do share," Cathy whispered conspiratorially.

"Well, I heard a couple of the interns have already been axed for various reasons. Trying to use their privileges for personal use and all that. One of them got kicked off for subpar work in the Gentle Giants. Thought they'd be skipped straight to animal work, rather than starting at shit like the rest of us."

"I can believe that. Day one and people were already lamenting it."

"I also heard that there's a few groups popping up around the park. Sort of intern social cliques. Some are basically just drinking parties, but they do good work, so they deserve a little fun," Sarah shrugged. "Can't blame them with all the places giving employee discounts. Hell, a lot of us in the asset management division hang out on weekends."

"Any particularly noteworthy groups?" Cathy asked.

Sarah paused for a moment in thought. "Give me a sec to remember. There's the drinkers...the herbivore people...I think the one that a lot of people have their bets placed on meet in one of the board rooms in the _Hilton_."

"Bets?"  
"Some of the security guys like to make bets on who's going to wash out. When your job is to watch other people work or have fun all day, you have to find ways to keep it interesting. They do all kinds of running tallies; how many people will try to go where they're not supposed to, how many drunks they'll have to deal with."

"Any idea which room the interns meet in? Sounds like the kind of people I should meet."

"Don't recall offhandedly, but I got a friend in security who could get it. I'll ask him next time we hang out. In the meanwhile…" Sarah said, standing up. "I should probably get going. Still have to prep for the next show."

"Take care," Cathy waved. A minute later, and she was alone in the rest area. She let the smile slip from her face, feeling a little sore. That had been a little tedious, but she got some good information out of it.

The Mosasaurus news was fascinating, if not completely useful or relevant. The rest of it was more fascinating. She now had a group of people she could potentially communicate with, and work up the ladder alongside. Devoted, dedicated individuals who she might even be able to get along with, and possibly even respect slightly.

A nice change from the average.

Cathy stood up, her mind wandering to another task. Stepping out into the sun, she kept the brim of her hat down, even as her eyes turned up. Decorating every building, she could see cameras watching the crowds, covering every angle. As she followed the east side of the boardwalk north, towards the Innovation Centre, she could see that the cameras easily covered all the alleys between buildings and roads leading off to other parts of the park.

Under the eaves of the Pachy Arena. Above the log entrance to the T-Rex Kingdom. From the auspices of the Innovation Centre. Constant camera coverage.

Heading south, the buildings were even tighter on the west side of the lagoon, with the stadium seating serving as the perfect camera array. Then, the path to the beach.

Cathy looked down the road, seeing it stretch out into the distance. No doubt there were cameras along the length of it, and more than a few blind spots. But she couldn't see them easily, and she'd just drag attention to herself if she went and looked for them.

Even so, Cathy turned down the road, blending into the crowd. It was surprisingly sparse, but given the routine monorail lines, people probably preferred that to walking. Stepping to the side as some joggers passed her, she diverted her gaze into the nearby foliage. She could see for a short distance before the jungle swallowed up her line of sight, and even before then, the dense foliage threatened to obscure anything inside.

If she could find a time and place to briefly step off the path and deposit her drone, it would be nearly impossible for anyone to see without knowing it was there.

On a whim, she continued along the path, headed towards the beach. It didn't take too long to reach the monorail station, but even there, she could see her answer. Amidst the crowd were some security officers, unflinching in the mob of people, watching the crowds with a reserved, distant presence.

She didn't have to go down to the beach itself to know that it would have a tighter watch. Even so, she wasn't entirely surprised to see that the path down to the beach had a few blind spots. They might have buffed security, but they still didn't have infinite manpower.

Besides, she didn't need to physically circumvent them anymore.

She turned back around, headed back towards the park. She had other things she needed to do now, like set up a charger on her balcony.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Normally, the sun shining down was an irritation to Cathy, but she found herself enjoying the moment. The sea breeze was a pleasant temperature; warm enough to be welcome, and cool enough to counter the sun's rays. The smell of salt permeated the air, but in a thin, crisp way that was tolerable compared to the overwhelming smell of Jurassic World's lagoon.

Piloting her small vessel, Cathy could say she was enjoying herself. With the day off, she was making a trip to the coast to pick up the drone she had ordered. Even so, she found the nice day distracting her as her mind wandered idly.

It was refreshing to be out on the waves without anyone around. Out here, she was just herself. No plans, no facades; just her and the boat. She could easily see why so many people got into boating. You could get away from everything for a few hours, or even days.

Plus, having her own boat meant she didn't have to catch one of the public or service boats back to the mainland. Just the thought of getting on one of those again made her shudder. She couldn't deal with the partiers or the noisy families. The fact that she'd been forced to take the cruise line down the first time was bad enough, but they hadn't been able to get her boat registered with Jurassic World in time for her arrival.

Now that the _Interloper_ was all registered, she was set to go. The little boat was narrow in profile and small in size. Under the captain's deck, there was a living room and an attached bedroom, and that was it. Her parents could have afforded a more luxurious vehicle, but its small size was intentional.

When she piloted it to Sorna, she'd need to go inland via the rivers. Once she reached her destination, she'd moor the boat, and take a straight route to the compound. The river she'd selected was also one that cut out through the island's volcanic perimeter, meaning that the mouth was a tunnel. Too large, and she wouldn't fit, and even if she managed it, she might not make it far enough downriver.

It's not like she'd need it after that, anyway. It would be left to be overrun by the jungle. Just another relic to any investigators.

In a morbid way, Cathy wondered how she'd be remembered. If no one ever found out about her espionage, then she'd simply have disappeared one day with her boat. Perhaps lost at sea. Just a tragic casualty of circumstance. Maybe one day they'd find her boat on the island and assume she got lost, and was killed on the island.

On the other hand, if they discovered her betrayal after the fact, they'd almost certainly be hounding for her. Stealing millions of dollars worth of genetic data, not to mention trade secrets, would be more than frowned upon. If anyone else attempted it, they'd likely go to the black market. Maybe sell to BioSyn or one of those other corporations that had been hounding at InGen's heels since its beginning. She doubted anyone would suspect the island. Who would steal a fortune, and then hide in a jungle, not spending a single cent of it?

Squinting, she could start to see the coastline. The first things that appeared were the mountains, but soon the villas began to peek into view. The bright white of the larger ones stood out against the vivid green of the jungle slopes. As the port came into view, she could see the resort in full.

Despite Jurassic World's size, the actual footprint of the resort was rather small, but its skyline wasn't. Towering hotels loomed over the beachfront, forming a broad wall of bright windows that glared in the sunlight. The beachfront itself was a chaotic mix of colours, with beach parasols, towels, swimsuits, and skin tones all painting it.

Carefully, she swung her vessel wide of the beach, keeping an eye out for swimmers. Even if it was unlikely for them to be out that far from water, she wanted to avoid a lawsuit from some rich asshole. More immediately, she piloted herself around some of the small yachts in the harbor, preferring to avoid the attention of any party boats or playboys.

Coasting in towards the shore, she took a moment to look out at the scene. Numerous boats were out on the water, forming a virtual barricade. Even as early in the morning as it was, there were numerous colourful umbrellas embedded in the sand, lit by the morning light. Most were unoccupied, but a couple of early birds were taking advantage of the quiet morning.

She pulled her boat up towards one of the smaller, local docks. Paying for mooring was easy enough, and she had already made sure that anything valuable was locked. Stepping onto the dock, she could hear the sounds of the resort. Already the noise of televisions and families were filtering into the air

Putting her sunhat on, she did her best to drown it out, sticking to the shade of the buildings as she walked into the small town. She'd looked at a map last night, planning the route to the post office, but even with all her experience with maps, it was different to be there physically.

As she approached the heart of the town, she took some time to look around. The buildings were a mix of tiki and modern style, with palm fronds and thatched roofs juxtaposed against simplistic, white aesthetics. A few of the street stores were closed, but she could see through the shuttered windows. Many of them were souvenir shacks, selling all kinds of trademarked goods.

Reaching the crossroads she startled as she heard people shouting. Whipping around she narrowed her eyes as she realized it had come from a bar down the street. Turning the other way, she was thankful as the buildings changed to the more rigid civic buildings.

Her good mood continued as she saw that no one was using the post office. The man behind the counter perked up, adjusting his hat. "Let me know if you need help with anything."

"I'm here to pick up a package. I believe it should have come in overnight?" Cathy inquired, approaching the counter.

"Can I get your name?"

"Marissa Neumann," she lied easily.

"I'll go check. Please wait here."

Cathy nodded, waiting patiently. She took a quick glance around, but kept her head down. It would be for the best if there was less footage of her face, even if the chance of anyone seeing it was low.

"Here we are," the man said, lifting the package up. It was rather flat and compact. Convenient. The man slid a form towards her. "Just sign here."

Cathy quickly signed the fake signature. Most signatures were barely legible anyway; so as long as the key letters stood out, it was fine. She nodded her thanks as she took the package.

Navigating back to her boat was easy, but she still moved quickly. If the town was waking up, she didn't want to get stuck in it. She'd seen the promotional footage of the resort. A bustling, busy coastal town where you could enjoy the luxuries of Jurassic World only a few minutes away from the island.

It occurred to her that, with her family's wealth, she could easily afford to stay here, and ferry to and from the island each day. She had no intention of doing so, but the mere thought that she _could_ stuck out to her. Outwardly, she hadn't been living like a rich kid. All her extra money was going to her "project."

Part of her wondered what would happen to all that money once she disappeared. She certainly wouldn't need it any more. At the very minimum, her parents had access to her account, so they'd get anything she didn't use back. A small, uneasy feeling gathered in the pit of her stomach. It was a line of thought she didn't like to think about often. She didn't have many friends who would remember her.

But her parents would notice when she disappeared, and she did care about them. Nothing was going to deter her, but that didn't mean she was completely heartless. They cared enough about her to support her through all this, after all. Sighing quietly, she tried to bury the thought, but it kept pushing at her mind. She didn't want to abandon them, but this was bigger than them.

She couldn't tell her parents she'd be alright, or give them any hint as to what she was going to do. If she did, then all her efforts to stay under the radar would be in vain. Prison for life, given the sheer number of accounts of fraud and espionage.

No, it was better not to say anything. A faked death would hurt, but at least the wound would fade over time. If she went to prison, they'd live the rest of their lives with the active reminder of how she'd betrayed them.

Their daughter would disappear mysteriously, never to be found again, rather than rot away in a jail cell.

Climbing into her boat, Cathy fought exhaustion, focusing her gaze on the distance. Single-mindedly, she tried to think about her plans for the day: smuggling the drone in, assembling it, testing it. But thoughts kept sneaking in, breaking her focus.

Eventually, she resigned herself to a quiet, silent trip.

* * *

"Hello, is this room 347?" Cathy asked, feigning her best impression of being lost and confused. From the doorway, she took stock of the three people that formed the study group.

Scott Anderson, Angela Springsteen, and Markus Taylor. She knew varying amounts about each of them, mostly from hearsay, like that Scott was British, and had been invited as part of an outreach program. Given what she had heard, it was likely part of the long-term plans for a Jurassic World near England.

Angela, who she'd gathered was the organizer, looked up, quickly composing a smile to cover her confusion. "Yes, it is. You are?"

"Cathy Bowman," she introduced, raising a hand in an awkward greeting. "I heard there was a sort of study group here. Thought I might look into it. Hope I'm not bothering you."

"Not at all," Markus assured her, hurrying to gesture towards a chair at their long table. Cathy smiled, taking the offered seat. "We were just getting started."

"Thank you," she said with a smile, setting her backpack beside her. An awkward moment passed as the others glanced down at their papers and things, clearly trying to figure out what to say.

It was Scott who took charge. "So, let's discuss this past week's work. We've been doing more shifts at the Gentle Giants, and I haven't heard anything official about a switch."

"Neither have I," Markus sighed, leaning on one elbow. "Makes me wonder if there's a problem or something."

"I think they'll switch us soon," Angela asserted. "We've been pulling the job long enough that they simply _have_ to at some point. If they don't cycle soon, they're going to run out of time to properly train the new roles before the next tourist boom."

Cathy couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in admiration at her deduction. She suspected much the same, though her deadline was a little bit sooner than Angela's hinted. From everything she'd heard across all her shifts, the change in personnel was coming very soon.

"Any idea where they'll be moving us?" she floated, gaining the attention of everyone.

"Well," Scott started, glancing at his compatriots, waiting for their small nods. "We think the next place they'll be sending us is to shadow the field medic teams. Doing health checks and the like. Maybe following a few of the guided tours."

Cathy nodded slowly, choosing her words. So far they'd been receptive to her presence, but she had to offer something to keep her place here. "Makes sense to me. Seemed like what the staff were saying."

"You heard them discussing it?" Markus asked, clearly interested.

"Yeah. The staff talk about stuff all the time," she explained with a shrug. "Well, they don't discuss it in one piece, but you hear enough and you can put it all together."

Markus narrowed his eyes, and for a second, she wondered if he was doubting her, but then he raised a finger, tapping it in the air like he was just piecing something together. "Hey, you're the one that pulls all those shifts, aren't you?"

Despite the cold feeling that ran up her spine, Cathy smiled slightly. "Guilty as charged. What can I say? Hard work gets attention."

"That it does," Scott noted agreeably, meeting eyes with Angela. An understanding seemed to pass between them, and the atmosphere seemed to relax as the pair took their own seats. "Well, in that case, it seems likely that the change is going to happen very soon."

"So, if we're going to be shadowing the vets, there's probably going to be some memorization of medicine," Markus supplied. "There's a few common ones wildlife parks use in my experience, so knowing those is a definite. Basics like penicillin to dexamethasone."

"I'll work on the list too," Scott offered, taking out a pen to scrawl notes. "These are semi-avian reptiles, so there's a few drugs that will probably work better on them."

"I take it you're experienced in these matters?" Cathy guessed, eyeing the two men.

"I worked as a zookeeper, and Scott's experienced with birds and reptiles," Markus answered without looking up.

"Might be helpful to factor in biological aspects," Cathy offered. "Their hides are thicker, and their circulation is slower. Not to mention sheer body mass. Only the strongest drugs would work."

"Fair point," Scott noted, gesturing in her direction with a pen.

"What's your area of expertise?" Angela asked, leaning back slightly with a curious expression.

"Me? Just fascinated with dinosaurs. They're unlike any other animal. They share traits of both reptiles and birds without being strictly either one. It puts them in a very unusual place in the animal kingdom," Cathy explained truthfully. "It's fascinating to compare them to both extant animals, and each other."

"So where do you fall on the reptile-bird debate?"

Cathy pondered the question earnestly for a moment. "It's safe to say that there's a spectrum. Some of the dinosaurs exhibit more distinctly avian behaviours, particularly some of the small theropods. Others are more reptilian. But I think restricting them to a scale between the two is incorrect. Some behaviours were unique to the dinosaurs, or at least manifested uniquely. Avians spawned _from_ dinosaurs after all."

"I'd agree to that," Angela said with a smile. "It's rather simplistic to view them as one or the other, no matter how much people try."

"I take it that you've got your own thoughts on the dinosaurs then," Cathy noted.

"Of course. I'd say that you hit the nail on the head," Angela agreed, taking a moment to compose her thoughts. "I think there's a lot that we can learn about the animals. Prior to the first dinosaur resurrection, most of our thoughts were based on conjecture, hybridizing components of animals. However, this fails to take into account a multitude of factors. Sure, birds came from dinosaurs, but we can't compare all dinosaurs to birds. At most, only a small section of theropods could really be judged using the bird metric."

The answer was surprising, but refreshing. It was a complex, nuanced look compared to the "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" approach many of the others had. Smiling to herself, Cathy leaned forward, eager to work with the group. She had a feeling she'd enjoy working with them. At least for the moment.

* * *

She got back to her own room late, but wasn't overly concerned about the time. She'd intentionally not taken the morning shift the next day, in case the group ran really late. Staying the full time would help her secure her place amongst them. She'd have to look at her scheduling in the future to keep up her pace, but she wasn't overly concerned. It was work she liked doing.

Rather, there were other things she had to focus on, like the next stage of her plans. Work would resume tomorrow after the weekend break, and she wanted to get back to work. If they were switching soon, then she'd have a limited time to take advantage of the easy window they'd provided her.

In order to obtain enough DNA to make her own dinosaurs, she'd need to get samples. Walking into the gene lab and just taking the vials wasn't a good idea, especially given how secure it had seemed when she visited, so that left getting samples from the dinosaurs directly. The best way to collect samples was to get blood samples, and the drone would help with that. Once she modified the dart gun, she could simply fly it into the park and get some samples from them.

But that would take a little bit of time. In the meanwhile, she had an easier option at hand; the Gentle Giants. Over the course of her shifts, she'd determined that the only security was visual. There were no metal sensors or tactile inspections of any kind. It would be easy to smuggle materials in and out on her person, provided she could shield them from view.

To that end, she'd rigged up a relatively simple but effective solution. Inside of one of her coats, she'd rigged up an internal patch near one of the thicker parts. She could slide a case of syringes inside, and have them be basically invisible to observers.

Picking up one such case, she popped it open, pulling out the needle. She smiled to herself as she looked at it before gently placing it back inside. The case was carefully designed to be temperature controlling, preventing the material from going bad before she could get it into her modified freezer. It wouldn't last for a whole day, but it would only have to last through one shift. Then she could head back to her room, deposit it, and get a new case.

"The things they sell online," she muttered to herself with a humorous shake of her head. Nowadays, you could just _get_ these things. Nearly every science class in America had one after Jurassic World had popularized genetic science. Once again, Jurassic World had given its saboteurs the tools they needed to beat it.

Pushing the pack aside, she picked up her notes. If they had a week of shifts at the Gentle Giants left, then that meant there were three shifts a day for five days. She'd miss the very first shift of the week, but that still left fourteen shifts. With over a dozen animals subject to inspection a shift, that meant at least 168 samples. While the syringes themselves were too large to store in that kind of bulk, the small vials she'd bought for just this purpose could easily hold that much _and_ fit in the fridge.

It would, however, make the fridge heavier over time. Not that it wasn't a bit bulky to start with, but a little moreso. It would be something to consider when it came time to flee. She'd have to carefully move the entire thing from her room to the boat . She'd need a dolly of some kind, so that was an item to find. Compared to some of the other problems, it was barely worth noting. She wouldn't even be able to bring it down to the docks, after all. They'd want to see what was in the fridge before she loaded it onto the boat. So the day she left, she'd walk down to the docks, get in her boat, drive it to some nearby coastline, and just wheel the fridge down there before disappearing.

She almost wished she could see the reaction of security when they realized what she had done. She'd have to pride herself on a job well done instead.

With a yawn, she set down her notes. The plans could come later. Now it was time for work.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Sitting in the back seat of the car, Cathy had to hand it to her conspirators; they knew what they were talking about.

One of the last things that had come up in the meeting was a plan for when the switch in jobs _did_ come. According to Angela, who had a friend currently with the veterinary team, they were very particular about the way they did things.

For instance, the jeeps were gas powered, and could seat five at max. Which meant that the large group of interns would be divided into teams that would shadow one of the vets. So which interns you got paired with and which supervising vet you shadowed would matter. Switching around groups wouldn't be easy. If you got put with the simpletons, you'd get held back.

Of course, Angela and the others had phrased it in a much more sugar-coated way, but she knew what they meant. Still, she had very much agreed with their logic and their plan. The four of them would try and band together, and latch on to a skilled vet. That way they would be assured a certain level of quality.

And in the end, it worked like a charm. The four of them sat in a jeep with Dr. Kaur, a dark-haired woman with clear Indian heritage and a stern gaze. According to Scott, she was a relatively well-known veterinary scientist. Like all the vets, she'd worked with large predators, and had many years of experience, but her own work was what set her apart. She was apparently a prolific writer on veterinary medicine, if the articles Cathy had read were any indication. Her work covered everything from extreme field treatment to high tech lab studies and everything in between.

If someone told Cathy that Dr. Kaur could mend sepsis with a broken stick and a strip of duct tape, she might actually believe them.

Sitting in the middle of the back seat, she couldn't see as much as the others as they drove through the jungle on the employee path, but she'd been willing to endure it. After all, she was the "new member" to the dynamic, and it only made sense to give the "seniors" their preference of seating. Angela sat in the passenger seat, while Cathy was flanked by the two men.

"So what kind of work are we looking at today?" Markus asked, breaking from staring at the passing greenery.

"Today we'll be taking a tour around the northern half of the island, and just getting an overview of the job. Half the interns in this group are getting the lab orientation first, while the other half gets the field orientation. You're in the latter group," Dr. Kaur explained with a light accent.

"What will this orientation be about?" Angela inquired.

"Introducing you all to the rules of working with the animals directly. You already covered some of them while dealing with the young dinosaurs, but when dealing with the adults, there are more rules. These animals are dangerous, especially to park employees. You take a level of risk when you sign up for this job. You don't have invisible fences protecting you, and you're close to these animals. Even the most docile ones can harm you just by shifting their weight wrong. Let me make this perfectly clear: if you behave in a way that is out of line with these animals, you will not be invited back."

Everyone responded with agreement, and the car fell silent for a moment. At the very minimum, Cathy was glad to see _someone_ was taking dinosaur security seriously. She understood some of the struggles faced by the administration to balance both safety and business. This was first and foremost a park, and you peddled an experience. It was hard to have a genuine, personal experience from behind layers of concrete and electric fences. A whole lot safer, but less likely to end up on a postcard home.

"We're approaching the gate, so I'll start with some of the basic rules. Number one: do not go beyond the gate without permission or supervision. This is for your safety as well as security. If you go beyond the fence without permission and you get hurt without us knowing, we can't help you. If you go out there without permission and we do know, you will be fired. Second: don't make loud noises or use anything that flashes. The dinosaurs have become used to the cars, but anything else might spook them. This especially goes for the carnivores."

Cathy didn't think she had to worry about them. None of them were the kind to hoot and holler when they saw a Stegosaurus, and they certainly weren't taking selfies. As the gate came into view, she turned her attention to Dr. Kaur, watching the process carefully. The jeep pulled up to the fence, where a rectangular chamber was bisected by the fenceline. Both ends were capped in tightly locked security doors.

Pulling up outside of the swinging range of the doors, Dr. Kaur leaned out the window to look at a small box coming out of the mud. "_ID please_."

Dr. Kaur lifted a small ID from under her coat where it hung around her neck, and pressed it against the scanner. After a moment, a green light came on, and the doors clicked audibly before creaking open. "_You are clear to enter_."

"Thanks, Nick," Dr. Kaur said as she leaned back in. _So the door system is manned_, Cathy noted. She definitely wouldn't be getting in that way. If it was just an automated system, she could just steal a card and sneak in, but with people watching and knowing each other by name, that wasn't feasible.

Edging the vehicle in, Dr. Kaur stopped it just before the secondary gates, waiting as the doors closed behind them. "In most cases, the second set won't open until the first have closed. This is to prevent any escapees. The only exception is during an emergency, when the bypass is enacted."

Cathy glanced over her shoulder, looking out the back window of the jeep. She spotted one of the cameras in the corner of the structure, the small light blinking away to indicate its activity. A moment later, the first set of gates closed with a heavy clang, and a buzz before the second set started swinging open. Once they had opened fully, Dr. Kaur drove out, and the structure disappeared behind the jungle. If one didn't know where to find it, then they blended right into the treeline. Probably to preserve immersion for visitors.

Looking back towards the front of the car, she had to take a moment to adjust to the sunlight as they entered onto the open plains. With the sun blazing above, the grass glowed a vibrant green, rolling in hills that were intercut with strips of jungle following the waterways. In the distance, she could see a lake, and the distinct shape of dinosaurs gathered around the edge. Her breath hitched in her throat as she saw some members of the Apatosaurus herd by the lakeside, positively dwarfing the other dinosaurs, their heads smoothly craning atop their massive necks.

"Here you can see one of the main watering holes," Dr. Kaur pointed out. "We've got a few spread throughout the zone to try and ensure water is accessible. Right now, we're at the east reservoir. There's also one in the west, and a couple near the north. Generally, the animal you'll want is going to be either here or in the west. The animals don't tend to go north."

"Why's that?" Scott asked, and Cathy noted the way Dr. Kaur's mouth thinned slightly, clearly mulling over her answer.

"The jungle's pretty thick up north. A lot of them prefer the open field, so there's not a lot of reason to go north," Dr. Kaur said.

On the surface, it was a fairly convincing argument, and very true. But that wasn't the whole reason. It was for the same reason that the trainees weren't allowed to go to the very north of the island.

The old park was there.

For the trainees, it was forbidden to go there, and discouraged for any other employee unless they had a task in the area. A policy meant to discourage looters and tourists. The old buildings and structures were dilapidated and dangerous. And Jurassic World hated admitting anything less than positive about their past.

In the case of the dinosaurs, it was likely they didn't like the signs of death. A lot of dinosaurs had died in the Isla Nublar Incident, leaving skeletons behind. It was general wisdom that animals tended not to go where skeletons were plentiful.

As they approached the watering hole, she couldn't help but feel her thoughts drift towards the animals. She'd seen them before, but never in person and never this close. She felt a small amount of disappointment as they stopped atop one of the hills overlooking the lake.

"Generally, we try to avoid getting close to the animals," Dr. Kaur explained as she parked the vehicle. "Unlike the gyrospheres, the invisible fence system isn't always on for a jeep. We try to prevent the animals from getting habituated to the jeeps so they don't get too close. Makes things a little more difficult, but safer. And we've figured out ways around it."

Dr. Kaur reached into the space between the front seats, pulling out a pair of bulky binoculars for demonstration. "We can inspect the animals with a degree of detail using these. It circumvents the need to even get close."

"How do you monitor for internal health?" Angela asked, her eyes locked on the dinosaurs.

"All the dinosaurs have internal trackers implanted from birth. They keep us updated on their position, while also keeping track of vital signs. If anything changes, we'll know. But just in case, we do some regular checks personally, especially if we see any signs of illness. Helps us keep track of some of the harder to see spots as well, like the bottoms of their feet."

"What kinds of illnesses do the dinosaurs get?" Markus asked. "Iridovirus? Ranavirus?"

"Not generally out here. Those are more of an issue in the Gentle Giants. No one touches the animals out here except us, and we follow sanitary procedures. Most of the diseases we see out here are mundane. Infections from small cuts or wounds, or maybe some stomach bugs in the more rainy months. Worst we used to get was herds in the east getting into West Indian lilac patches. Took forever to root them out."

Cathy perked up at the mention. She'd heard of those before, and it took her a second to remember where. _A Treatise on Paleobotanical Specimens by Dr. Sattler_. In it, Dr. Sattler had mentioned that many historical plants may have been poisonous, and advised caution in using them outside of labs. But the reference to lilac had been from Sattler's anecdotal account from her visit to the original park, and how it had likely had a hand in poisoning some of the animals.

Despite all her presumptions, it seemed the park really did make an effort to learn from the past, even if they didn't always acknowledge it. Sure, there were flaws all over the place, but at least they were _new _flaws.

"What happens if one of the larger animals needs more extreme treatment?" Scott asked. "As far as I understand it, some of the smaller ones, like the Pachycephalosaurus, are taken back to the veterinary clinic, but you can't just load an Apatosaurus into a truck."

Cathy was surprised when Dr. Kaur actually laughed a little. "You're right, we can't just drag them. If there's an animal that's either too large or dangerous to transport in a vehicle, we erect a containment area around them and perform intervention on-site."

"I would assume that also applies if the animal needs immediate treatment," Angela observed.

"That's correct," Dr. Kaur confirmed, sitting up in her seat. After a moment, she put the jeep back into drive, and started spinning the wheel. She started driving parallel to the herds, keeping a safe distance. "The upper limit we can take is some of the adolescent stegosaurus or triceratops. Let's see, it was somewhere around...here."

Dr. Kaur turned the vehicle, slowing to a stop. "You can see a spot over there where we did an inspection on one of the Triceratops about a week ago."

Cathy craned her head, trying to spot the area in question. After a moment, she could make out an area where the ground looked different. The grass was starting to grow back in, which made it hard to see, but there were clear impressions in the ground, along with a couple of tracks in the ground, likely from the animal's legs as it laid on its side. The area around it was still a little shorter than the rest, and she had no doubt that if she was closer, she could find tracks from the doctors.

"Where is it? I can't see?" Markus asked from her left, and she realized she was probably blocking his vision. She sat back to let him spot it for himself, letting her thoughts begin to wander as they scanned the grass.

But something was bugging her, and she couldn't figure out what it was. Like she was missing something. Suddenly, it clicked, and she listened carefully. In the distance, she could hear the herd, but at the moment, she couldn't hear anything else. Things had gone quiet.

"Where's the invisible fence switch?" Cathy asked quickly, leaning forward into the space between the seats. Angela looked at her in confusion, but Dr. Kaur's eyes widened for a split second as she realized what Cathy was implying. Instantly, her hand went to a switch on the dashboard, and Cathy felt a very brief tingle as it activated.

Somewhere in the trees ahead of them, something shifted, brushing past leaves and underbrush as it did so. Now that she was listening, she could hear the footfalls of the dinosaur ahead of them. Probably a Metriacanthosaurus, if she had to guess. A moment later, her theory was confirmed as it exited the trees a distance to their right, giving them a wide berth. She heard the other interns inhale deeply, obviously startled by the large carnivore. It seemed they had forgotten there were carnivores on the north half of the island.

"Jesus," Markus breathed, leaning back slightly. Cathy held back her smile, instead stealing a glance at Dr. Kaur, who was watching the dinosaur silently, her expression focused.

The Metri looked at them for a moment, its nostrils flaring as it took in the scent. A second later, it shook its head as if trying to dismiss an annoying fly before turning away.

Cathy glanced at her companions, taking in their various shocked and frightened expressions. When she looked at Dr. Kaur, they met eyes, and Cathy couldn't help but wonder if she'd done something wrong. But then Dr. Kaur nodded, starting up the engine again.

"Tour's done for today," she announced, filling the space as she brought the car around. For a moment, Cathy wondered if anyone was going to protest, but as the seconds dragged on, she realized the others weren't saying anything, and were instead staring into the middle distance. Internally, she sighed; how did they _expect_ carnivores to act?

The ride back to the gate was silent, and she resigned herself to simply waiting out the ride. If her companions were that shaken, she doubted they would be willing to back her up on trying to keep the tour going. Instead, she looked out the windows, memorizing the landscape, and admiring the dinosaurs in the distance.

When they finally pulled into the veterinary depot, the others couldn't get out of the car fast enough, and Cathy was left looking around in confusion for a moment, but followed them out.

"Go ahead and head back to the park. I have to go talk with animal management," Dr. Kaur said as she stepped out of the car. She gestured vaguely towards the security checkpoint. "Tell them I told you to get a ride or something."

"Thank you for your time," Angela managed, before turning towards the security checkpoint. Cathy watched them for a moment, rolling factors around in her head.

"Ms. Bowman," Dr. Kaur added, catching Cathy's attention. She spun around, wondering if she was in trouble, but Kaur's expression was soft. "You did a good job out there. Good situational awareness."

"Thanks," she replied simply. After a moment, she decided to risk it. "You sure there's nothing else we can do today? I hate the idea of just sitting around."

Dr. Kaur gave her a brief once over, as if trying to figure out if she was alright. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Everything worked out. System worked as intended. Even if we hadn't heard it coming, the dinosaurs of Jurassic World aren't made to be aggressive. And even if it had attacked, the car could have taken a hit or two before the system was activated," Cathy summarized with a shrug. "There wasn't any real danger."

Dr. Kaur nodded in agreement. "Still, it is a little concerning that it behaved the way it did. I'm going to talk with the management. I'll see if I can get one of the other staff to give you a tour around or something."

"Thanks," Cathy said honestly. "I'd appreciate that."

* * *

In some ways, Jurassic World was like its own ecosystem, reacting and changing to environmental stimuli. Nothing illustrated that point better than observing how it shifted in the weather. From her window, Cathy could see that the boardwalks of the park looked far less busy than usual. Instead of the usual slow moving rivers of people, there were instead small collections of umbrellas moving hastily from place to place in the most direct fashion possible. The interior lights of the buildings shone bright against the grey atmosphere, and even from this distance she could see the figures of people seeking fun inside.

Tearing her attention away, she turned her mind back to her own rainy-day preparations. Unlike some, she actually paid attention to the weather advisories, and knew the storm was coming. With yesterday's Metriacanthosaurus incident, the interns were being given a day off, and she had no doubt many were bundled up warm right now.

As per usual, she wasn't content to just let an opportunity slip her by. This hadn't been in her plans, but she was adaptable. Inclement weather meant that more people would be staying inside, and those that did go outside would stay close to the park's center, where there was entertainment that came with a roof. Very few would be on the north side.

Zipping up her raincoat, Cathy did a quick pat down to make sure that she wasn't forgetting anything. Grabbing her backpack off its perch on her desk chair, she felt the comfortable weight of her modified drone inside, carefully hidden underneath a spare coat, just in case anyone got a casual glance inside. She'd slid the remote itself into a spare pair of gloves in her pocket. Already, she had her excuses ready and practiced.

There was nothing stopping her.

Grabbing her almost comically large umbrella as she left her room, she couldn't help but be excited at the fact that she was making progress at a faster rate than she'd expected. Some extra time practicing walking in the rain wouldn't be bad either.

Her mood only improved as she entered the monorail station, and found it to be almost completely abandoned. Normally, there were at least a few crowds waiting to go somewhere, but now there were less than a dozen, and it seemed like half of them were one family. When the monorail arrived, only four people left, emptying it completely before the new group got on.

Happily, Cathy took a seat, something that was normally impossible to do, except maybe in the low hours. With her good mood, not even the other people in the car could bring it down. With a contented sigh, she stretched out, enjoying the feeling of being out and about. Her mood only improved once the car arrived at her destination: the gondola lift.

When she moved to stand, she realized she was the only one getting off at the stop, and her place was quickly taken by the few people boarding. Stepping out onto the cement landing, she looked around at the small station. The gondola lift's monorail station was located on the north side of the fence, which meant that it had to be secured from the dinosaurs. Fortunately, that was made easy by the fact that it was placed on a raised cliff, meaning that only the Apatosaurus could reach it.

Turning her gaze towards the hill, spotting the pavilion atop its crest. It was a popular spot for sightseeing, since you could see much of the park from its peak, not to mention having a small cafe catering to those who didn't want to return to the park's heart for meals. But the dirt path circling the hill was what called her.

Shrugging up her pack, she began to trek up the path. With her umbrella and boots, the mud and rain were barely a concern, something that deterred many other visitors from taking the path during storms. The isolation was nice. Cathy didn't realize just how crowded she'd been until she was suddenly all alone. Having to be around others was exhausting, even when they left her alone. Now she could just focus on walking.

It wasn't a particularly hard hike compared to some of the trails she'd managed, but as she passed under one of the security cameras, she paused, leaning up against the protective railing. It was a simple gesture, but an important one. As she continued the climb up, she glanced up passed her umbrella, looking for a gap in the coverage. Eventually, she found it, and moved quickly.

Turning her back to the hill, she put her umbrella behind her just in case, unslinging one strap of her backpack. Quickly, she dug out the modified drone, dangling it over the ledge. Taking the control from her pocket, she activated it and started the propellers. Once she was sure it worked, she removed her hand from under it, letting it descend slowly to the ground below. She didn't even pause to see where it landed before she had her backpack on again, and the remote back in her pocket.

The rest of the hike was easy, and she reached the peak after a few "breaks." Even given her duplicity, she was genuinely pleased to get out of the rain by the end, and step into the warmed pavilion. Shrugging off her hood, she allowed the heat to seep into her bones, giving off an involuntary shiver at the temperature difference.

A few other people were inside the pavilion, including a few families. Some were by the windows, using the binoculars to spot dinosaurs in the park, or sitting by the cafe and eating warm fast food. Which was admittedly sounding a little tempting.

But it could wait. She had something else to do first. The meal could be her reward for a completed job. Walking passed the cafe, she headed for the bathrooms. Once inside, she headed immediately for a stall and took out her control.

Lifting off the drone, she could see from the camera that she'd landed in a relatively good spot at the base of the hill. Spinning slowly in place, she surveyed the landscape, looking for ways to get it out of sight. The hill was mostly surrounded by fields, which made it awkward to get the drone out. Even if they hadn't seen her dropping it, they would see it flying away. She had hoped there would be a low ridge or something else she could use in order to hide from view as a primary plan, but as she circled the base of the hill, she realized she would have to fall on her back up plan.

The monorail.

The monorail was big enough to block view of the cameras, and she could fly close to its bottom as it moved in order to follow it to the treeline. Her drone could outpace it if she pushed it to full speed, so keeping up would be no problem.

Patiently, she waited, hovering the little drone underneath the station she had gotten off only minutes before. Fortunately, Jurassic World's reliability meant she didn't have to wait long, and she could spot a monorail train approaching around the bend. Once it pulled in, she hovered towards the edge of the station, and waited for it to leave.

Gliding underneath it, the drone was able to easily evade the view of the cameras, and at a convenient distance, she quickly pulled off into the treeline, where no one would see it.

Cathy mentally patted herself on the back, putting the remote away. Later, when she got back to her room, she would pilot it somewhere else, but her job was done for now. In the meanwhile, she had a victory meal waiting.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Cathy hummed to herself as she worked, ticking off her animal inspection checklist. With as many of these as she'd done, she could probably do a checklist in her sleep. It also didn't hurt that she was the only one not needing instruction.

Despite the fact that she was currently slated for shadowing the veterinary workers, she had decided to do a few shifts at the Gentle Giants again. The vet shadowing had slowed down for a couple of days, and Cathy suspected it was due to the incident with the Metriacanthosaurus. Thankfully, they were still hosting _some_ veterinary shadowing, and she'd scheduled one for later in the afternoon. In the meanwhile though, volunteering here was good for getting padding on her resume.

The new shift of interns was just getting used to things, and so they needed the extra hands. On the upside, it meant she was getting plenty of samples. She didn't need supervision, so the superiors were more than comfortable letting her handle an animal on her own while they attended to the people who had less of an idea what they were doing. And if an animal happened to jerk a little when she stuck them and took a blood sample, it was easy to excuse the anxious atmosphere. They were quick clotters anyway, and there was almost no trace of it. Clean hands and sleeves. Any stained gloves were immediately turned inside out, tied, and stuffed into a small plastic bag in her coat and a new set of plastic gloves obtained.

However, it also meant some of her time was occupied with others. As she caught one of the supervisors headed her way, she let out a silent sigh, drawing up a helpful smile in its place. "Someone need help?

"Yeah, mind supervising the group on the end? We're letting out the Gallies, and they might be a bit much to handle," she said. Cathy glanced at the nametag: Ms. Sanvail. Judging by her somewhat tired expression and messy hair, things hadn't been that easy for the supervisors with the new group.

"Sure. I can do that. Just let me finish up here," Cathy offered, and Sanvail didn't even bother to nod before rushing off to deal with some other fire. Cathy didn't take it personally, nor did she particularly care. Supervisor told her to work, so she did. Simple as that.

Standing up, she opened the gate and gave the young Trike a couple of firm pats on the flank, prompting it forward. Most of the babies were trained to react to a couple of standard tactile commands, but you had to be a bit forceful to get them to register it through their thick skins. Once it was through, she closed the gate, and turned to look at the rest of interns.

Every other group was being carefully guarded by a supervisor, which made sense. Even at the best of times, the Gallies could be a bit hard to wrangle. Because of how fast they were, you couldn't really get ahead of them, and catching them was out of the question. InGen wouldn't risk any harm coming to their specimens, and anyone who injured an animal would be out on their ass so fast their head would spin. Which meant that "handling" Gallies was more like "suggesting."

A fact that the other interns had yet to realize.

"Back away from them!" Cathy said firmly and loudly, though she kept it down enough that the other animals wouldn't startle. She strode up to the group, putting out her arms to move some of them back, giving the animals room to breathe. Gallies tended to be anxious things, which meant that panicking them only made it harder.

"We almost had them," one of the interns offered.

"No, you didn't," she said immediately, looking at the small flock. Judging by how they moved their heads and twitched, they were in full flight mode. She could practically see their hearts beating in their chests. "Don't crowd them. They're prone to panic. Everyone stand back and give them a second to relax."

Slowly, the interns stepped back, following her instructions, and while the animals jittered at the motion, they didn't seem to worsen. Their goal, the handling pen, was behind them. She turned to the intern on her left, a kid with black, curly hair. "You. Go open the entry gate and stand a little distance away from it."

"Right," he said with a nod, breaking off from the group, Cathy motioned for the next intern in line to move closer, closing the gap.

"Okay, so what we're going to do is form a pair of lines on either side, then start herding them in," Cathy explained, pointing to the intern at the end of the line on her left. "You, trade places with me."

Quickly and efficiently, they swapped, and Cathy started to crouch down, arms wide. "You'll want to stand like this. Makes them think you take up more space than you do. Stay light on your feet. You need to be able to step side-to-side real quick in case they switch directions. But don't rush them. Just close the gap."

Some of the interns looked a little embarrassed but followed her commands anyway, and they had formed a pair of lines, blocking the Gallies between them. Cathy looked at the intern across from her. "Okay, now you and I are going to start walking towards each other. Everyone else, start wrapping around behind them, but keep the path to the gate open. People on the end, your job is to just prevent them from going sideways. Got it?"

A couple of nods and some murmured replies, and Cathy signalled to start. Slowly, she and the lady across from her started to walk towards each other, and she could see the Gallies' eyes snap to them, obviously trying to keep an eye on the threat. But with a solid concrete wall between them, running passed them wasn't an option. Once Cathy got within about three feet of them, the group started moving away, and she took the opportunity to completely seal up the back.

The rest of the herding went perfectly. Unable to step to either side, the Gallies quickly picked up speed, running into the safety of the handling pen, and the man she had assigned quickly closed it behind them. Then the tension was gone and the interns high fived one another, celebrating their success. Cathy was starting to slink away, hoping to avoid the celebrations, when she saw the same supervisor heading over.

"Everything alright, ma'am?" Cathy asked.

"Everything's fine," she confirmed quickly. "Just wanted to say well handled. How long have you been working with the Gallies?"

Cathy quickly held back her reflexive surprise, ruthlessly quashing her fear. It was unlikely she meant it in a nefarious way. "Been working with the new ones since the last cycle. I was in the first group assigned. Heard they needed more hands, so I was happy to pitch in."

"Glad you did," Sanvail said, her eyes flicking across the group of interns. "Seems you got a talent for it. You considered applying for this facility?"

_That_ caught Cathy's attention. There was a distinct difference between being told you were good at something, and being told by someone in the establishment that you should apply to it. _Did Mr. Ryde say something to her?_

"I hadn't thought about it," Cathy said honestly. "I didn't want to put all my eggs in one basket. The positions are very competitive."

"That they are. But I think you'd have a very good chance of getting in here," Sanvail commented, and Cathy allowed a smile. That was about as clear as it could get. _You should apply_.

"I might just consider that," Cathy agreed pleasantly. Sanvail nodded, and headed off to continue supervising without another word.

A position at the Gentle Giants. It would certainly fit the bill. It was low-hanging fruit, all things considered. Most interns probably wanted to work somewhere else they could do research and make a name for themselves, or at least work with adult animals. Gentle Giants was a summer gig, at best.

But for her, it could be perfect. It was beneath notice and was hardly demanding. She just cleaned baby animals and checked lists. It was stable employment, and made sure she had constant access to some of the animals at any time. And the rest would be easy enough to get a hand on with enough time and preparation. To say nothing of some of the potential promotion tracks, if she decided it would take that long.

It was enough to put her into a good mood. Already, she was thinking of ways to aim higher, but it was always nice to have a reliable fallback.

* * *

Finally, Cathy met Dr. Withers.

In all honesty, she had almost completely forgotten the name Sarah had provided her on her first day at the park. It hadn't been relevant or reachable at the time, but suddenly it had come to fruition.

Dr. Withers was one of the employees on the rotation of veterinary shadowing. He was older than Cathy was expecting, with sunburnt skin that faded to a pale white near the edges of his clothes. His receding hairline left a large bald patch that had the slight shimmer of sweat, and he peered with narrow eyes from behind black, thick-rimmed glasses.

"You the one?" he asked, barely sparing a glance in her direction as he put a box in the back of the jeep.

"Yes, sir," she replied. "Anything I can do?"

"Can you lift?" he inquired, jerking his head to a nearby bale of vegetation. Getting the impression he wasn't much for talk, Cathy walked over and grabbed the bale. It was heavy, and she had to stagger over to the car with it, but Dr. Withers seemed satisfied, though not impressed, when she put it in the back.

"When do we leave?" Cathy returned, throwing his short, direct style back at him. To his credit, Withers' snort was short and lightly amused.

"Now. Hey, Johnson!" Withers turned suddenly, shouting across the vehicle bay to the young man sitting behind the security booth. "We're headed out! Two in the field! Car Five!"

Johnson flashed a thumbs up, reaching over to scrawl something in the log. Cathy followed Withers' lead and slid into the passenger side of the jeep as he took the driver's side. Fortunately, it was just the pair of them today, so she didn't have to fight for space.

Pulling out of the garage, Withers turned the jeep onto the service road that led north. For a moment, they sat in silence, only the roll of the ground beneath them filling the car with noise, and Cathy began to wonder why Sarah had recommended him as a supervisor.

"What do you know of Pachycephalosaurus?" he inquired out of the blue, his eyes still fixed on the road. Cathy snuck a glance at him from the corner of her eye, trying to gauge his expression, but was only able to read an impassive facade.

"Well, aside from the obvious things like their clade and the fact that they're herbivores, I know an adult is roughly four and a half meters long; almost as tall as a human," Cathy recited. "I also know some of the top paleontologists theorize that Dracorex and Stygimoloch are potentially adolescent Pachies. I find it interesting you have both Stygimoloch and Pachycephalosaurus in the same park."

That got the corner of Withers' mouth to quirk up in a hint of a smile. "Today you're going to be watching me while I fix the locator."

"Aren't those subcutaneous?" Cathy asked as she began to suspect what was in the box in the back of the jeep.

"They are," Withers confirmed simply, and Cathy read the subtext as clear as day. They were going to be doing field surgery. Definitely not what she was trained for, or what she had expected, but undeniably useful and interesting.

"When do we get started?" Cathy asked, unable to help a hint of enthusiasm leaking through.

"Shouldn't take long to find it."

The sound of tires on asphalt changed to dirt as they approached the gate, and silence filled the space once more. Dr. Withers only spoke to check in with the gate security. Then it was the sound of grass under the tires.

Cathy watched out the window, observing the dinosaurs at a distance as they passed. A herd of triceratops were down by the pond, with a flock of Gallimimus nearby, both species were dwarfed by the much larger Apatosaurus. It was almost like a postcard with how diverse the arrangement was in such a small area. Something seemed off about the image, but the only obvious thing she could see were the Gyrospheres that swarmed around the animals.

She pushed the thought for later as she saw the herd of Pachies in the distance. Dr. Withers slowed the jeep to a crawl. A couple of the animals glanced at them, but seemed not to care as they foraged. Eventually, he stopped, having decided he was close enough.

"Keep an eye on them," he instructed as he reached into the backseat. Cathy was tempted to look, but obligingly kept her eyes on the animals. Though they were generally passive, Pachies could rapidly accelerate, and even the sonic deterrent wouldn't work well enough to prevent the initial hit, only discouraging repeated bashing. Fortunately, it seemed none of them were particularly concerned about the jeep.

Dr. Withers sat back up, laying a black box across his lap, and began to pull out metal cylinders that Cathy inspected from the corner of her vision. As he screwed them together, she realized he was assembling a lightweight dart rifle. After attaching the air tank and sliding the dart in, he began to roll down both windows on his side.

Leaning out the window, he squinted, looking at the animals. After a moment, he seemed to pick a target, and sighted it down his scope. After a couple of adjustments, the dart flew out with a near-silent hiss, and struck the Pachy in the shoulder. It gave a call of alarm, and that was enough to startle the rest of the herd, who began to run away.

Tossing the rifle into the backseat through the other window, Dr. Withers quickly sat down in his seat and grabbed the wheel. The jeep quickly shuddered forward and they followed the herd. Though they were driving relatively fast, she did feel Dr. Withers slow down once or twice, trying to keep his distance.

At first, she lost sight of which one they had targeted, but before too long, it started to flag and fall behind. Once that happened, Dr. Withers slowed down to its pace, preserving the distance between them. The animal began to droop its head and tail and eventually laid down, though it still seemed awake. And once it was down, they started to get closer, swinging wide, and then backing up until they were not far from it.

The rest of the herd was some distance away, close to the treeline. They still looked spooked and anxious, but were staying close by for some reason. A few started to graze, while others stared fixedly in their direction with their small eyes. It was almost eerie in a way.

"Alright, should be ready," Dr. Withers explained as he opened the car door and slid out. Cathy watched him for a moment, unable to believe that he was just stepping out.

"Are you just walking up to it?" she asked, confusion in her voice as he retrieved the rifle, loading in a new dart.

"At this point, it's unable to move under its own power," he explained, slinging the weapon over his shoulder. "And I have a spare dart if things go wrong."

Objectively, Cathy knew he was being fairly rational, something she appreciated. But another part of her was objecting to the whole idea as images of worst case scenarios filled her head. At the same time, Sarah's recommendation chimed in her memory. If she had recommended him, there had to be a reason. And this kind of attitude hadn't developed overnight.

So with only a hint of hesitancy (and no more than that, Cathy told herself), she opened the door and stepped out. Dr. Withers' eyebrow ticked up a fraction, but he took it in stride as he went to the back of the jeep. "Grab the bale. I'll handle the surgical tools."

Cathy nodded, pulling the bale off the back of the vehicle. She followed Dr. Withers to the animal, and he pointed towards the front of it. Following his silent order, she walked around the front, and watched as it tried to observe her, faint muscle motions betraying its attempt to move despite its inability. She laid the bale down by its head and cut the strings with her pocket knife.

At the same time, Dr. Withers cracked open the surgical kit. Laying out a small tarp, he began placing items on it. High strength hand sanitizer, gloves, wipes, tools, and all the other things one needed. First, he took a cleansing wipe and began wiping down the shoulder region of the animal.

"Make sure it has enough food," he instructed without looking in her direction. Cathy obliged, pushing one flap of the bale closer to it. The animal's nostrils flared for a moment, and it used what little muscle control it had to nibble at the offered food. It was an unexpectedly tame behaviour.

"Are they all trained to behave this way?" Cathy inquired.

"Most of them, yes," Withers nodded. "They panic when they're dosed, but once they're under, they're quite relaxed. The older ones have been through this a few times. The Pachies especially."

"Why's that?"

"Pachies engage in headbutting competitions. But unlike the popular depiction, they attack each other's sides. The locators are implanted in the shoulders, which are a common target, so we have to check them regularly." He punctuated his statement by sanitizing his hands and slipping on his gloves. "It will likely jolt a bit as I apply the local anesthetic. Be ready."

Cathy braced herself as he inserted an almost comically large needle into the animal's shoulder and injected the dose slowly. The animal jerked, as he had predicted, but only lamely and Withers rode the motion easily, keeping the needle right in place. Then, he pulled it back, and the smallest amount of blood pearled out, but it clotted quickly.

"And now we wait," he said, brushing his forehead with his arm.

Cathy nodded in absent acknowledgement before crouching down to get a better look at the animal. She'd handled some babies of various species, but never gotten close to any Pachycephalosaurus. It wasn't the prettiest animal, but even while limp, it was still intimidating. The dome head overshadowed the eyes with bony ridges, giving it a more brutish look.

"Should be long enough," Dr. Withers announced as he picked up his tools. The first was a scalpel that looked comically small compared to the animal, but Cathy knew better. The blades were sharp enough to cut through a dinosaur's skin with minimal pressure. And as she watched, he drew a thin line in the flesh, exposing the minimum amount necessary.

Taking out a retractor, he carefully clipped it in place before retrieving a pair of long forceps. With one hand, he held a light into the cavity, while he navigated with the other. Just by watching, Cathy could see he had a smooth, practiced hand at the procedure, and didn't so much as waver as he proceeded.

"Got it," Dr. Withers announced as his hand began to pull back. After a tense couple of minutes, the forceps cleared the incision, and Cathy could see a bent little metallic object. Withers held it close to his face, inspecting it. "Seems to have sustained damage consistent with headbutting."

"Why don't they put them somewhere else?" Cathy asked.

"Not many better places. Too deep, and you have to perform a more intensive surgery. Can't put it near the spine or head. Arms don't move much, so it won't suffer as much wear and tear there," he explained as he prepped the new locator.

He repeated the procedure in reverse this time, taking a moment once it was fully inserted to make sure it rested well in its new location before pulling back. Once he had finished, he took out the tools for stitching.

Pausing only once to nudge his glasses up on his shoulder, he quickly and precisely sewed the incision back up. It didn't take long, since it wasn't big to start with, but it was quite impressive. Once he was satisfied, he put his tools into a container before putting it back in the box.

Standing up, he dusted his hands, turning to Cathy with a small smile. "And that's that."

Together they loaded the tools back into the vehicle, along with the uneaten portion of the bale, and were off again. The ride was quiet until they reached the gate, with Dr. Withers only speaking to the gate security. Cathy had to say she was surprised someone as talkative as Sarah had recommended someone like him as a supervisor, but he clearly knew his trade.

But something was bothering her...

"So, what are we going to be doing during this phase?"

Dr. Withers turned his head slightly with a questioning look. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, observing field surgery is informative, but unconventional. Moreso still in that you performed it like you were doing normal work, rather than a demonstration."

The corner of Dr. Withers' mouth curved up into a slight smile and he seemed to relax a little. "That's the trick."

"Trick?" Cathy inquired, intrigued.

"You see, the thing about a lot of the interns we get is that many of them are talented individuals. You don't get into Jurassic World's programs by being 'okay.' But a lot of them are also used to being fed information. Not all of them, mind you," Dr. Withers quickly added. "But a lot of them had teachers or professors who basically opened the hatch to their brain, and just stuffed whatever would fit in there. They don't ask questions, they don't observe. They don't learn in the field."

"And so you're testing to see who takes the initiative," Cathy surmised.

"Correct. Ms. Niobrara was one such student. So when she mentioned you in the incoming group, I decided to see for myself."

"And what do you think?"

Dr. Withers was silent for a moment. "You asked less questions than her, but I could see you watching. You ask with your eyes. You demonstrated both knowledge, and a voice to speak it, even if it goes against doctrine. I think you have some potential. We'll have to see next time."

The drive was almost over, and Cathy could see the vehicle depot coming up on them. In her opinion, it had been a fairly successful trip, all things considered. So she remained politely quiet as they pulled in, then dutifully scheduled her next shadowing, and parted ways. Dr. Withers had been more than she'd anticipated, and more observant than she'd bargained. It was both an asset, and a risk, but one she was willing to take.


End file.
